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UNITED  STATES  JTARIFF  COMMISSION,  WASHINGTON 


INFORMATION 


CONCERNING 


CIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS 


PRINTED  FOR  USE  OF 

COMMITTEE  ON  WAYS  AND  MEANS 
HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1919 


UNITED  STATES  TARIFF  COMMISSION,  WASHINGTON 


INFORMATION 

CONCERNING 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS 


PRINTED  FOR  USE  OF 

COMMITTEE  ON  WAYS  AND  MEANS 
HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1919 


/Tn 


UNITED  STATES  TARIFF  COMMISSION. 

OFFICE  1322  NEW  YORK  AVENUE,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

COMMISSIONERS. 

F.   W.  TAUSSIG,  Chairman.  WILLIAM  KENT. 

THOMAS  WALKER  PAGE,  Vice  Chairman.       WILLIAM  S.  CULBERTSON. 
DAVID  J.  LEWIS.  EDWARD  P.  COSTIGAN. 

WILLIAM  M.  STEUART,  Secretary. 

2 


CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Letter  of  transmittal 5 

Introduction 7 

GENERAL  INFORMATION. 

Tariff  provisions,  act  of  1913 9 

Description 10 

The  domestic  industry 10 

Materials 10 

Equipment,  methods,  and  processes 10 

Organization 11 

Geographical  distribution 11 

Production  and  consumption 11 

Instruments  almost  wholly  of  foreign  make  in  use  in  the  United  States 

prior  to  the  war 12 

Instruments  almost  wholly  of  domestic  make  in  use  in  the  United  States 

prior  to  the  war 14 

Instruments  both  of  foreign  and  domestic  make  in  use  in  the  United 

States  prior  to  the  war 16 

Exports 18 

Foreign  production '.  19 

Imports 19 

Tariff  history 20 

Competitive  conditions ' 20 

War  developments 21 

Various  tariff  views 23 

EXCERPTS  FROM  LETTERS  AND  ANSWERS  TO  QUESTIONNAIRE. 

Competitive  conditions: 

From  the  Bureau  of  Standards 25 

From  manufacturers 26 

Changes  due  to  war  conditions: 

From  the  Bureau  of  Standards 27 

From  manufacturers 28 

Tariff  considerations: 

From  the  Bureau  of  Standards 29 

From  manufacturers 30 

Duty  free  importations: 

From  manufacturers  (estimated  amount) 32 

Resolution  passed  by  the  Council  of  the  American  Chemical  Society 32 

From  universities 32 

3 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


UNITED  STATES  TARIFF  COMMISSION, 

Washington,  July  21,  1919. 
The  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means 

of  the  House  of  Representatives: 

'  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith,  in  accordance  with  your 
request, 'information  compiled  by  the  United  States  Tariff  Commis- 
sion on  scientific  instruments. 
Very  respectfully, 

THOMAS  WALKER  PAGE, 

Acting  Chairman. 
5 


INTRODUCTION. 


In  response  to  the  request  of  the  Ways  and  Means  Committee  for 
information  concerning  scientific  instruments,  the  Tariff  Commis- 
sion has  compiled  the  following  somewhat  general  and  purely  pre- 
liminary data.  To  a  considerable  extent  material  was  obtained  from 
replies  to  a  questionnaire  sent  to  the  various  sections  of  the  Bureau 
of  Standards  and  a  circular  letter  sent  to  a  number  of  manufacturers. 
Several  of  the  important  universities  were  asked  to  submit  opinions 
regarding  the  repeal  of  the  present  duty-free  clause.  Excerpts  pre- 
sented as  a  part  of  this  report  have  been  made  from  the  statements 
received  by  the  commission  from  these  various  sources. 

The  extremely  diverse  nature  of  the  products  falling  under  such 
a  general  designation  as  "  scientific  instruments "  renders  general 
statements  concerning  the  entire  group  of  little  value  for  the  purpose 
of  deciding  on  any  rates  of  duty  related  to  the  competitive  conditions 
which  affect  individual  instruments.  A  more  extended  study,  dealing 
with  separate  instruments  or  with  well-defined  classes  of  similarly 
placed  instruments,  is  necessary  before  more  determinative  informa- 
tion can  be  submitted. 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS. 


TARIFF   PROVISIONS,   ACT  OF    1913. 

Scientific  instruments  are  provided  for  under  so  many  sections  of 
the  tariff  act  of  1913  that  it  is  impossible  with  brevity  to  reprint 
all  references.  Attention  is  more  particularly  called  to  the  follow- 
ing illustrative  paragraphs : 

573.  Philosophical  and  scientific  apparatus,  utensils,  instruments,  and 
preparations,  including  bottles  and  boxes  containing  the  same,  specially  im- 
ported in  good  faith  for  the  use  and  by  order  of  any  society  or  institution 
incorporated  or  established  solely  for  religious,  philosophical,  educational, 
scientific,  or  literary  purposes,  or  for  the  encouragement  of  the  fine  arts,  or 
for  the  use  and  by  order  of  any  college,  academy,  school,  or  seminary  of 
learning  in  the  United  States,  or  any  State  or  public  library,  and  not  for  sale, 
and  articles  solely  for  experimental  purposes,  when  imported  by  any  society 
or  institution  of  the  charcter  herein  described,  subject  to  such  regulations  as 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  shall  prescribe.  (Free  of  duty.) 

80.  China  and  porcelain  wares  composed  of  a  vitrified  nonabsorbent  body 
which  when  broken  shows  a  vitrified  or  vitreous,  or  semivitrified  or  semivitre- 
ous  fracture,  *  *  *  and  all  other  articles  composed  wholly  or  in  chief  value 
of  such  ware,  if  plain  white,  or  plain  brown,  not  painted,  colored,  tinted,  stained, 
enameled,  gilded,  printed,  or  ornamented  or  decorated  in  any  manner ;  and 
manufactures  in  chief  value  of  such  ware  not  specially  provided  for  in  this 
section,  50  per  centum  ad  valorem ;  if  painted,  colored,  tinted,  stained,  enam- 
eled, gilded,  printed,  or  ornamented  or  decorated  in  any  manner,  and  manu- 
factures in  chief  value  of  such  ware  not  specially  provided  for  in  this  section, 
55  per  centum  ad  valorem. 

92.  Lenses  of  glass  or  pebble,  molded  or  pressed,  or  ground  and  polished  to 
a  spherical,  cylindrical,  or  prismatic  form,  and  ground  and  polished  piano  or 
coquill  glasses,  wholly  or  partly  manufactured,  strips  of  glass,  not  more  than 
three  inches  wide,  ground  or  polished  on  one  or  both  sides  to  a  cylindrical  or 
prismatic  form,  including  those  used  in  the  construction  of  gauges,  and  glass 
slides  for  magic  lanterns,  25  per  centum  ad  valorem. 

93.  Opera  and  field  glasses,  optical  instruments,  and  frames  and  mountings 
for  the  same;  all  the  foregoing  not  specially  provided  for  in  this  section,  35 
per  centum  ad  valorem. 

94.  Surveying  instruments,   telescopes,   microscopes,   photographic  and   pro- 
jection lenses,  and  frames  and  mountings  for  the  same,  25  per  centum  ad 
valorem. 

95.  Stained  or  painted  glass  windows,  or  parts  thereof,  and  all  mirrors,  not 
exceeding  in  size  one  hundred  and  forty-four  square  inches,  with  or  without 
frames  or  cases ;  incandescent  electric-light  bulbs  and  lamps,  with  or  without 
filaments;  and  all  glass  or  manufactures  of  glass  or  paste,  or  of  which  glass 
or  paste  is  the  component  material  of  chief  value,  not  specially  provided  for 

•in  this  section,  30  per  centum  ad  valorem. 

161.  Watch  movements,  whether  imported  in  cases  or  not,  watchcases  nnd 
parts  of  watches,  chronometers,  box  or  ship,  and  parts  thereof  *  *  *  whether 
separately  packed  or  otherwise,  not  composed  wholly  or  in  chief  value  of  china, 
porcelain,  parian,  bisque,  or  earthenware,  30  per  centum  ad  valorem. 

167.  Articles  or  wares  not  specially  provided  for  in  this  section ;  if  composed 
wholly  or  in  part  of  platinum,  gold,  or  silver,  and  articles  or  wares  plated 
with  gold  or  silver,  and  whether  partly  or  wholly  manufactured,  50  per  centum 
ad  valorem ;  if  composed  wholly  or  in  chief  value  of  iron,  steel,  lead,  copper, 
brass,  nickel  pewter,  zinc,  aluminum,  or  other  metal,  but  not  plated  with  gold 
128736—19 2  9 


10  SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 

or  silver,  and  whether  partly  or  wholly  manufactured,  20  per  centum  ad 
valorem. 

380.  Photographic  cameras,  and  parts  thereof,  not  specially  provided  for  in 
this  section ;  photographic  dry  plates,  not  specially  provided  for  in  this  section, 
15  per  centum  ad  volorem. 

DESCRIPTION. 

The  articles  included  under  the  term  "scientific  instruments"  are 
many  and  diverse,  and  are  not  provided  for  as  such  in  the  act  of 
1913.  Paragraph  573  applies  to  articles  specially  imported  by  the 
specified  institutions,  and  court  interpretation  has  laid  stress  on  the 
intended  use  of  the  article,  rather  than  its  inherent  character. 

Scientific  instruments  are,  in  general,  characterized  by  the  high 
degree  of  sensitiveness  and  dependability  with  which  they  serve 
their  purposes.  Most  important  among  them  are  engineering,  physi- 
cal, chemical,  and  medical  instruments  of  various  kinds,  used  for 
the  measurement  of  weight,  volume,  length,  heat,  temperature,  light, 
color,  and  time.  A  large  portion 'of  scientific  instruments  are  elec- 
trical, either  through  their  employment  in  relation  to  electrical  phe- 
nomena or  by  reason  of  the  use  of  electricity  in  the  determination 
of  other  phenomena.  With  the  application  of  scientific  methods  to 
manufacturing  there  has  developed  an  extended  industrial  demand 
for  instruments  which  were  formerly  of  little  service  outside  the 
student  laboratory  and  that  devoted  to  pure  science. 

The  Tariff  Commission  has  prepared  separate  information,  which 
for  the  most  part  is  not  repeated  under  this  title,  on  optical  glass 
and  chemical  glassware,  surgical  instruments,  and  draftsmen's  in- 
struments. 

THE  DOMESTIC  INDUSTRY. 

Statistics  of  the  industry  are  first  given  for  the  year  1849,  when 
the  value  of  "electromagnetic,  mathematical,  and  surgical  instru- 
ments "  was  somewhat  less  than  $1,000,000.  The  industry  has  grown 
rapidly  since  1904,  the  value  of  professional  and  scientific  instru- 
ments1 manufactured  in  1914  ($17,500,000)  being  over  three  times 
as  great  as  that  10  years  before. 

Materials. — The  metals  and  glass  are  the  most  important  materials 
in  the  construction  of  scientific  instruments.  Porcelain,  wood,  rubber, 
and  other  insulating  materials  of  various  kinds ;  quartz,  feldspar,  and 
calcite  are  illustrations  of  the  many  materials  contributing  to  the 
various  final  products. 

Equipment,  methods,  and  processes. — In  general,  the  methods  and 
processes  used  in  the  manufacture  of  scientific  instruments  are  the 
same  in  the  United  States  as  abroad.  One  manufacturer  says:2 

The  materials,  equipment,  and  methods  of  production  in  this  country  do  not 
differ  from  those  abroad,  except  that  if  we  can  get  into  quantity  production,  it 
will  be  best  for  us  to  "  tool  up,"  so  that  we  may  do  more  machine  work  and 
thus  cut  down  the  great  handicap  that  we  have  in  the  matter  of  costs. 

Another  manufacturer  suggests  a  difficulty  which  one  branch  of 
the  industry  has  to  contend  with  in  building  up  efficient  production 
methods : 3 

Owing  to  the  limited  demand  for  scientific  instruments,  balances,  weights, 
and  surveying  equipment,  etc.,  the  methods  and  conditions  of  production  in 

1  Including  medical  and  surgical  Instruments. 
1  Letter  of  the  Central  Scientific  Co.,  July  7,  1919. 

8  Letter  of  William  Ainsworth  &  Sons,  manufacturers  of  weights  and  balances,  July  8, 
1919. 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS.  11 

this  country  do  not  differ  greatly  from  those  abroad,  hence  the  quantity  pro- 
duced does  not  enable  manufacturers  to  put  this  industry  on  the  same  basis  as 
the  typewriter,  adding  machine,  or  automobile  industry. 

Organization. — Many  firms  manufacture  scientific  instruments  as 
their  sole  product;  many  are  engaged  in  the  production  of  single 
kinds  of  instruments,  such  as  balances  or  thermometers.  However, 
production  is  not  confined  to  these  groups.  For  instance,  some  elec- 
tric companies  manufacturing  a  general  line  make  instruments  which 
may  be  classed  as  scientific. 

The  census  lists  197  companies,  with  capital  of  $13,000.000,  as  pro- 
ducers in  1914  of  professional  and  scientific  instruments  (excluding 
medical  and  surgical  instruments). 

The  market  for  instruments  of  very  high  precision  is  extremely 
limited.  These  are  chiefly  used  for  testing  other  instruments,  and 
generally  a  small  quantity  suffices.'  European  makes  of  such  instru- 
ments predominate  in  our  domestic  markets. 

Geographical  distribution. — New  York,  Illinois,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Massachusetts  lead  in  domestic  production.  In  1914  these  States 
furnished  approximately  70  per  cent  of  the  professional  and  scientific 
instruments  manufactured  in  the  United  States. 

Production  and  consumption. — General  statistics  of  the  production 
and  consumption  of  scientific  instruments  are  not  of  great  value 
because  of  the  great  diversity  of  the  instruments  included,  and  varia- 
tions which  may  arise  from  the  inclusiomof  different  classes  of  instru- 
ments in  the  figures  compared.  In  addition,  statistics  of  imports  are 
not  complete,  for  dutiable  instruments — imported  for  the  private 
laboratory  or  for  industrial  uses — are  separately  specified  in  a  few 
cases  only.  The  statistics  under  duty-free  imports  contain,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  instruments  under  consideration  in  this  report,  (1)  medi- 
cal and  surgical  instruments,  (2)  chemical  glassware,  (3)  chemicals, 
and  (4)  certain  other  articles  for  the  use  of  the  specified  institutions. 
In  1914  duty-free  imports  amounted  to  $704,000,  exports  (excluding 
medical  and  surgical  instruments)  to  $1,550,000,  and  production 
(excluding  medical  and  surgical  instruments)  to  $14,600,000.  Even 
if  half  of  the  instruments  paid  duty,1  imports  were  still  less  than 
exports.  The  latter  formed  approximately  10  per  cent  of  the  pro- 
duction. The  war  has  increased  exports  and  decreased  imports. 

While  in  the  case  of  some  instruments  the  United  States,  prior  to 
the  war,  produced  none  but  imported  them,  in  other  lines  the  domes- 
tic industry  both  supplied  our  domestic  market  and  exported.  Some 
foreign  instruments  of  still  other  kinds,  in  which  there  was  domestic 
production,  were  also  on  the  market.  The  following  lists  classify 
certain  instruments  on  this  basis,  and  show  changed  conditions  since 
the  outbreak  of  the  European  war : 

1  Assuming  this  to  bo  the  case,  the  $1, 400,000  figure,  for  purposes  of  comparison,  is  too 
large,  since  it  Is  based  on  duty-free  imports  under  paragraph  5t3.  This  Includes,  In  addi- 
tion to  scientific  instruments,  the  articles  mentioned  above. 


12 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 


List  of  the  different  kinds  of  scientific  instruments  in  use  in  the  United  States, 
showing  the  development  of  the  industry  since  the  outbreak  of  the  icar.1 

A.  THOSE  ALMOST  WHOLLY  OF  FOREIGN  MAKE  PRIOR  TO  THE   WAR. 


Instrument.       • 

Kind. 

Comments  of— 

The  Bureau  of  Standards 
(June  26,  1919). 

The  manufacturers  (June- 
July,  1919). 

Aero  altimeters  

}(') 

{Xow  obtainable  of  United 
States  manufacture. 

Bausch  &   Lomb  Optical 
Co.  state  none,  or  very 
neg'igible  amount,  made 
prior  to  war;  will  manu- 
facture. 
Now  obtainable  of  United 
States  manufacture. 

Balances  (see  under  C).. 

barometers  (see  under 
C). 

Cathode  ray  tubes 
(Braun  tubes). 
Chronographs.  .  .  . 

Schopper  paper  scale.  . 

P  '*" 

Primary  standard  

Probably    could"  not    be 
purchased  in  the  United 
States  to-day. 
Not  made  in  United  States 
to-day. 

Geneva  

Chronometers  

Manufacture    of    genuine 
marine  chronometers 
undertaken  by  one 
A  merican  firm. 
United    States   manufac- 
ture contemplated. 

(1;  

Colorimeters  

Of  the  better  grades.  .  . 
Pocket  

Compasses.  . 

Conductivity  bridges  .  .  . 
Cooling  curve  recorder.  . 
Direct-  vision  prisms    .. 

Precision.  . 

Saladin  

Electrical  conditioning 
ovens 
Eectric  furnaces  

For  paper  and  textiles. 
Laboratory..  

"~ow  made  in  sufficient 
nuantity  in  the  United 
States. 

Electrical  frequency 
meters. 
Electrical  measuring  in- 
struments 

Electrometers 

"  Frahm'  '  (reed  type)  . 
Hot  wire  and  hot  strip. 

United  States  make  of  a 
new  type  of  thermal  in- 
strument is  an  improve- 
ment on  those  formerly 
imported. 
United  States  make  now 
being  advertised. 
Tot  made  in  United  States 
to-day. 

Filtration  apparatus  

Fluorite  plates  and 
prisms. 
Fluxmeters  

Ultra  

Galvanometers  (see  un- 
der C). 
Gauge  blocks  

Thomson,  thermo,E  in- 
thoven. 
Precision  

Now  obtainable  of  United 
States  manufacture. 
do  

Hardness    testing   ma- 
chines. 

Interferometers       (see 
under  B). 
Do  

Brinell  

Imports    due    to    special 
quality  of  the    Brinell 
machine. 
Not  now  manufactured  in 
the  United  States;  at 
least  two  firms  are  at- 
tempting to   manufac- 
ture. 

Except  Michelson  
Pulfrich... 

Do  

Zeiss-Rayleigh  

Lenses  

For    textile     micro- 
scopes. 
Achromatic,  especially 
of  quartz-fluorite. 
Metric  and  English  of 
the    highest   preci- 
sion.* 
M  i  lliona  ire  computing 
machine. 

Schopper,  for  paper 
testing. 
Best   quality   micro- 
scope. 
Ultra  

Lenses  (see  under  C)  
Length  standards  

Mathematical     instru- 
ments (see  under  B 
and  C). 
Micrometers  ...  . 

United   States  manufac- 
ture contemplated. 

Micrometers  (see  under 
C). 
Microscopes  

Not  now  manufactuied  in 
the  United  States. 

1  Prepared  from  the  replies  to  a  questionnaire  sent  to  the  Bureau  of  Standards  by  the  Commission,  June 
26,  1919. 

1  A'lde-l  by  manufacturer. 
»  Extremely  few  needed  to  satisfy  even  world  demand. 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 


13 


List  of  the  different  lands  of  scientific  instrument)!  in  use,  etc. — Continued. 
A.  THOSE  ALMOST  WHOLLY  OF  FOREIGN  MAKE  PRIOR  TO  THE  WAR— Continued. 


Instrument. 


Kind. 


Comments  of— 


The  Bureau  of  Standards 
(June  26,  1919). 


The  manufacturers  (June- 
July,  1919). 


Microscopes  (see  under 
C). 

Milliammeters 

Milliammeters  (see  un- 
der C). 

Mlllivoltmeters  (see  un- 
der C). 
Nlcol  prisms 


Zeiss. 


Paul  unipivotal 

Special  triple   range 
instruments    (Eng- 
lish). 
Siemens  &Halske. 


Paper-folding     endur- 
ance testers. 
Photometers  i 


Photometers . 


Schopper. 


Photometers  (see  under 

C). 

Polarimeters 


Polarization 

Marten's;  spectro. 


Not  now  manufactured  in 
the  United  States. 

There  has  been  a  desire  to 
develop. 

Not  now  manufactured  in 
the  United  States. 

Will  be  manufactured  by 
a  United  States  firm 
within  a  year. 

Must  still  be  imported; 
United  States  manufac- 
ture contemplated. 


Polariscopes '. 


Polariscopps . 


Various    United    States 
manufacturers  now  at- 
tempting to  produce. 
(In  general,  "All  instru- 
ments having  polarizing 
parts,  i.  e.,  Nicol  prisms. 
Wollaston    prisms,    and 
Rochon  prisms"  in  class 
A.) 


Polariscope  tubes. 
Porcelain... 


Laborator  y— -Mar- 
onardt,  Berlin 


Now  obtainable  of  United 
States  manufacture. 

United  States  make  now 
better  than  German; 
United  States  porcelain 
;  ufficesforallneftdsnow. 


Porcelain  tubes. 


Potentiometers  (see  un-  j  Wolft 

der  B  and  C). 

.   Precision. 


Quality  of  United  States 
make  now  just  as  good 
as  that  formerly  im- 
ported . 

Imports  due  to  better 
quality:  both  better  and 
cneaper  (duty  free)  than 
United  States  make. 


Potentiometers 

Precision  cells 

Psychrometers 

Quartz  (see  under  C)... 
Quartz    glass,    plates, 

lenses,  and  prisms. 
Refractoineters ' 


Assman;  Fuess. 
Fused  optical . . 


Fair  grade  now  made  here. 


Various  United  States 
manufacturers  now  at- 
tempting to  produce. 


Wm.  Gaertner  &  Co.  state 
that  these  instruments 
were  not  made  in  United 
States  prior  to  war. 


Bausch  &  Lomb  state  that 
none  of  a  negligible  quan- 
tity made  prior  to  the 
war;  will  manufacture. 


Charles  Englehard  states 
that  very  high-prade  re- 
fractory porcelains  suit- 
able for  pyrometric  ap- 
paratus not  produced  in 
United  States,  1914:  im- 
ported had  H"her  defor- 
mation points,  better 
mechanical  qualities,  was 
more  impervious  to 
g asses;  United  States  por- 
celains now  equal,  possi- 
bly excel,  quality  of 
those  formerly  imported. 


Wm.  Gaertner  &  Co.  state 
these  not  made  in  United 
States  prior  to  war. 
Bausch  <t  Lomb  Optical 
Co.,  same;  they  will  man- 
ufacture. 


Listed  in  the  catalogue  of  the  Scientific  Materials  Co.,  1919,  as  not  made  in  the  United  States. 


14 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 


List  of  the  different  kinds  of  scientific  instruments  in  use,  etc. — Continued. 

A.  THOSE  ALMOST  WHOLLY  OF  FOREIGN  MAKE  PRIOR  TO  THE  WAR— Continued. 


Instrument. 

Band. 

Comments  of  — 

The  Bureau  of  Standards 
(June  26,  1919). 

The  manufacturers  (June- 
July,  1919). 

Refractometers 

Pulfrich  and  Abbe  

Wm.  Gaertner  &  Co.  state 
these  not  made  in  United 
States  prior  to  war. 
Baush  &  Lomb  Optical 
Co.,  same;  they  will  man- 
ufacture. 

Rotameters  (see  under 
B—  Gas    engineering 
instruments). 
Sa  ccharimeters 

A  gas-flow  measuring  in- 
strument, made  only  in 
Germany. 
Various     United     States 
manufacturers  now  at- 
tempting to  produce. 

United  States  make  now 
better    than    German, 
formerly  imported. 

Silica  ware      

Spectrometers  (see  un- 
der C). 
Spectrographs    

Mirror           

Precision  

Not  made  in  United  States 
to-day. 
Various    United    States 
manufacturers  attempt- 
ing to  produce. 
United   States   manufac- 
ture contemplated. 
Now  obtainable  of  United 
States  manufacture. 
Probably   could   not   be 
purchased  here. 
Not  made  in  United  States 
to-day. 
There  has  been  a  desire  to 
develop  United  States 
manufacture. 
Now  made  satisfactorily  in 
the  United  States. 
Beckman    thermometers 
now   manufactured    in 
this  country. 

Selenium  cells 

Spectroscopes  (see  un- 
<lerC). 
Standard  cells 

Better  quality        .... 

Portable  Weston  

Tachometers  (see  under 
B). 
Tensile     testing     ma- 
chines. 

Thermo  elements 

Hand  

Fo  i  paper  (Schopper). 

Thermometers  (see  un- 
der B  and  C). 

Thermopiles  

Inclosed  scale  (paper  or 
porcelain),  mercury 
in  glass  (chemical, 
Beckman,  ordinary 
laboratory). 
Pentane  and  toluene 
glass. 

Vacuum  apparatus  (see 
under  C). 
Voltmeters  

Grade  high       

Electrostatic,  of  cer- 
tain types. 

Seger  

Electrostatic  voltmeters  of 
certain  types  are  not  yet 
made    in    the    United 
States,  and  can  be  pro- 
cured only  from  abroad, 
particularly  from  France. 
Now  made    satisfactorily 
in  tne  United  States. 

Volumeters  

Wollaston  prisms.  .  . 

Wire  

Bismuth  

B.  THOSE  ALMOST  WHOLLY  OF  DOMESTIC  MAKE   PRIOR  TO  THE   WAR. 


Alundum  refractories. .. 

Arclights , 

Bursting  strength  test- 
ers. 
Calipers 


COj  recorders 

Dilliaetion  gratings. 
Electron  tubes 


Flash  point  apparatus.. 
Gas  analysis  apparatus. 


High  intensity. 
For  paper 


Veinicr  and  microm- 
eter. 


Quantity  made  hcie  prior 
to  the  war  small;  now 
made  also  in  England, 
France,  and  Germany. 


J.  T.  Slocomb  Cc.  states 
that  it  understands  there 
was  very  small  German 
import  prior  to  war. 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 


15 


List  of  the  different  kinds  of  scientific  instrument*  in  use,  etc. — Continued. 
B.  THOSE  ALMOST  WHOLLY  OF  DOMESTIC  MAKE  PRIOR  TO  THE  WAR— Contd. 


Instrument. 

Kind. 

Comments  of— 

The  Bureau  of  Standards 
(June  20,  1919). 

The  manufacturers  (June- 
July,  1919). 

Oas-cneineeting  instru- 
ments. 

OaS  standards  

Practically  all;  imported, 
merely  for  comparison 
with    domestic    make, 
except  rotamrter.    (See 
A.)  Can  be  made  better 
and  probably  as  cheaply 
In  the  United  States. 

Charles    F.nglehard  states 
importation    has    never 
been  general. 

Cubic  foot  

Gauges  

Pressure  and  other 

Indicators  

Steam    engine,     me- 
chanical. 
Michelscn  

Interferometers  (see  un- 
der A). 
Interferometer     plates 
and  mirrors. 
Magnetometer  

Mathematical     instru- 
ments (see  under  A 
andC). 

Ordinary  slide  rule  ... 

Nernst  glower  lamps.  .  . 

Photographic  outfits    .  . 

Micro  

Potentiometer  (see  un- 
der A  and  C). 

Portable      

Relays       

Tachometers    (see   un- 
der A). 
Telephone  amplifiers  .  .  . 
Temperature    control 
apparatus. 

Other  than  hand  

Vacuum  tube  

Now  manufactured  abroad 

Automatic    

Testers    for    bursting 
strength  of  paper. 
Testing    machines    for 
materials  of  construc- 
tion. 
Thermocouples  (see  un- 
der C). 
Thermometers  (see  un- 
der A  and  C). 

Vacuum     

Clinical  thermometer 
of  the  etched  stem 

type- 
Industrial,    of    Hoh- 
man  &  Maurcr  type. 
Indicating  and  record- 
ing of  vapor  pres- 
sure. 
Liquid  filled        

Metallic  expansion 

Thermocouple  and  re- 
sistance. 

Water  meters     

Wire           

Base   metal   thermo- 
couple. 

(i)  

Added  by  manufacturers. 


16 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS. 


List  of  the  different  kinds  of  scientific  instruments  in  use,  etc. — Continued. 

C.  THOSE  OF  BOTH  FOREIGN  AND  DOMESTIC  MAKE  PRIOR  TO  THE  WAR.i 


Instrument. 


Kind. 


Comments  of— 


The  Bureau  of  Standards 
(June  26, 1919). 


The  manufacturers  (June- 
July,  1919). 


Ammeters 

Anemometers. 


Balances  (see  under  A). 


Barometers  (see  under 
A). 


Calorimetric  apparatus. 
Cameras 


Aneroid. 


Compressometers . 

Condensers 

Deflectometers... 
Dividing  engines. 


Electrical. 


Electric  current  meters. 

Electric  ovens 

Extensometers 


Field  glasses 

Fire  -  control      instru- 
ments. 


Galvanometers  (see 
under  A). 

Gas  and  vapor  tubes  for 
the  production  ol  cer- 
tain spectral  lines. 


Inductance  coils 

Length  comparators  — 
Lenses 

Lenses  (see  under  A) . . . 

Mathematical  instru- 
ments (see  under  A 
andB). 

Mercury  vapor  lamps... 


Both  high  grade  and  very 

low  grade  imported. 
Imports  due  to  quality 


Import  high  precision  and 
ordinary  laboratory: 
United  States  specialty, 
assay  balances.  Con- 
siderably increased  pro- 
duction since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war. 

About  as  many  surveying 
and  weather  aneroids 
imported  as  made. 


Imports  due  to  quality 
and  special  character- 
istics: United  States 
could  get  along  without 
imports. 

Imports  due  to  special 
characteristics . 

American  make  now  as 
satisfactory  as  foreign. 

Imports  due  to  special 
characteristics. 

Only  made  as  "special" 
in  United  States,  hence 
of  higher  price. 

Imports  due  to  quality 


American  make  of  less  ac- 
curracy  than  the  im- 
ported (Ewing)  in  use 
since  the  beginning  of 
the  war. 


Imports  due  to  quality; 
great  increase  in  the 
United  States  since  the 
beginning  of  the  war; 
United  States  could  get 
along  without  imports. 

Import  high  grade;  United 
States  high-grade  instru- 
ment now  made. 

Imports  due  to  quality 
and  special  characteris- 
tics; United  States  could 
get  along  without  im- 
ports. 


Achromatic  glass 

Photographic 

Cylindrical  slide  rule . 


Quartz. 


Imports  due  to  quality.. 
Imported  English  of  Bet- 
ter quality. 

United  States  manufac- 
ture now  superior  to 
foreign. 


Central  Scientific  Co.  states 
that  production  was  lim- 
ited prior  to  the  war. 

Central  Scientific  Co.  states 
that  production  was  lim- 
ited prior  to  war;  Chris- 
tian Becker  (Inc.)  reports 
fourfold  increase  in  pro- 
duction since  1914. 

Central  Scientific  Co.  states 
that  production  of  ba- 
rometers was  limited; 
Wm.  Ainsworth  & 
Sons,  Henry  J.  Green, 
C.  J.  Tagliabue Co.,  state 
that  aneroid  barometers 
were  not  produced  in  the 
United  states  prior  to 
war. 


1  There  has  been,  in  general,  a  large  increase  in  the  United  States  production  of  these  articles  since  the 
o  utbreak  of  the  war. 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS. 


17 


List  of  the  different  kinds  of  scientific  inxtru  mentis  in  uxr,  etc. — Continued. 
C.  THOSE  OF  BOTH  FOREIGN  AND  DOME8TIC  MAKE  PRIOR  TO  THE  WAR— Contd. 


Instrument. 


Kind. 


Comments  of— 


The  Bureau  of  Standards 
(June  26, 1919). 


The  manufacturers  (June- 
July,  1919). 


Micrometers . 


Micrometers  (soe  under 

A). 
Microscopes  (see  under 

A). 


Do 

Do 

Milliammeters 

Millivoltmeters 

Optical  clamps,  benches 
and  parts. 


Paper  condensers. 
Perimeters 


Metallographic . 
Micrometer 

Except  as  in  A. 
do 


Electrical. 


Permeameters 

Photometers  (see  nnder 

A). 
Photometer  heads  and 

standard  bars. 
Planimeters 


Portable. 


Potentiomel  ers  (see  un- 
der A  and  H). 


Projection  instruments 


Except  as  in  A. 


Pyrometers. 


Do 

Tyrometric  apparatus . 
Quartz  lamps 


Optical. 


Cellar!/,    mateiial    (see 

under  A). 
Resistances 


Imports  of  ordinary  grades  I 
very  small. 


Imported  better  made  and 
more  accurate. 

Imports  due  to  quality 
and  special  characteris- 
tics; United  States  could 
get  along  without  im- 
ports. 

United  States  make  not 
equal  19  foreign  pre- 
viously imported. 


Imports  due  to  quality 
and  special  characteris- 
tics: United  States  could 
get  along  without  im- 
ports. 


(i). 


Imports    due    to    special 

quality. 
....do..'. 


(i). 


Considerably  increased 
United  States  produc- 
tion: that  of  United 
States  manufacture  not 
equal  to  WolfT. 

Imports  due  to  quality 
and  special  characteris- 
tics: United  States  could 
get  along  without  im- 
ports. 


Fused 

Resistance  bridges, 
boxes,  units,  \Vhent- 
stone  biiflges.  usisi- 
unce  lUndaios,  pre- 
cHon  icsiManccs, 
wiie  lesiitanees 
(Ruhstrat  type). 


'niit'd  states  manufac- 
ture now  M'.r.ciior  to 
foreign. 


»  Added  by  manufacturers. 


128736—19 3 


\  R.  Almond  Manufac- 
turing Co.  states  that 
there  was  attempted  in- 
troduction from  Ger- 
many, 1913-14. 


Manufacture  limited  prior 
to  war. 


Imported  from  Switzer- 
land because  of  mechani- 
cal excellence  and  low 
price. 


Charles  Englehard  states: 
Small  export,  large  im- 
port, 1914;  largely  in- 
creased ex  port,)  PI  8.  Im- 
port due  to  lower  price 
for  better  grade;  United 
States  Instruments  now 
superior.  Thwing  In- 
strument ('o.  states  that 
10  years  prior  to  war,  all 
imported;  in  1!»06,  one- 
third  of  consumption 
made  here;  in  1914,  M)  per 
cent:  exports  equalled 
imports. 


18 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 


List  of  the  different  kinds  of  scientific  instruments  in  use,  etc. — Continued. 
C.  THOSE  OF  BOTH  FOREIGN  AND  DOMESTIC  MAKE  PRIOR  TO  THE  WAR— Contd. 


Instrument. 


Rheostats . 


Spark  gaps 

Spectrometers. 


Spectroscopes      (see 

under  A). 
Telescopes , 


Tensile  strength  testing 
machines. 

Thermoscopes 

Thermocouples 

Thermometers  (see  un- 
der A  and  B). 


Vacuum  apparatus  (see 

under  A). 
Vacuum  pumps 


Vacuum-walled  vessels 


L'o 

Voltmeters.. 


Wattmeters . 
Wavemeteis. 


Weights. 

Wire 
Do.. 


Kind. 


Except  as  in  A. 


For  schools  and  col- 
leges. 


For  textiles . 


Except  as  in  B , 

Etched  stem  mercury 
in  glass  of  all  151)68. 


Glass. 


Metal. 


Resistance . 
Platinum . . 


Comments  of — 


The  Bureau  of  Standards 
(June  26, 1919). 


Imports  due  to  special 
quality;  price  of  labora- 
tory rheostats  bought 
here  high. 


"A  few  cheap,  inaccurate 
instruments  made  in 
this  country." 


Imports  due  to  quality 
and  special  characteris- 
tics; United  States  could 
get  along  without  im- 
ports. 

Imports  due  to  "preju- 
dice." 


The  production  has  been 
greatly  increased  since 
the  beginning  cf  the 
war. 


United  States  make  now 
superior  to  foreign. 

Imports  of  high  grade 
from  Geimany;  now 
made  at  the  bureau;  or- 
dinary food  container 
made  in  the  United 
States;  United  States 
superior  in  Dewar  bot- 
tles and  flasks. 

England  makes  the  better 
quality,  United  States 
the  inferior. 

Imports  of  very  low-grade 
and  cf  high-grade  in- 
struments. 


United  States  make  now 
as  satisfactory  as  foreign. 


The  manufacturers  (June- 
July,  1919). 


Union  Thermometer  Co. 
states  that  imports  of 
glass  thermometers  ex- 
ceeded production  and 
were  due  to  the  cheap- 
ness of  the  product. 
Central  Scientific  Co. 
states  that  production 
was  limited  prior  to  war. 
Taylor  Instrument  Cos. 
states  that  imports  were 
due  to  lower  price.  ' 


Charles  Englehaid  states 
that  platinum  and  plat- 
inum-rhodium thermo- 
element wire  of  sufficient 
quality  for  pyrometric 
purposes  was  not  pio- 
duced  in  United  States 
in  1914;  foreign  had 
greater  chemical  purity, 
insuring  greateraccuracy, 
greater  exchangeability, 
longer  life. 


Exports. — Figures  for  domestic  exports  are  available  from  1913  to 
1918.  In  the  fiscal  years  1913  and  1914  (not  affected  by  war  condi- 
tions), exports  of  scientific  instruments  (excluding  medical  and 
surgical  instruments)  averaged  $1,600,000.  After  the  outbreak  of  the 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS.  19 

•war  they  increased,  reaching  $5,500,000  in  1917.  A  large  portion  of 
these  increased  exports  consisted  of  instruments  for  direct  military 
use.  such  as  range  finders. 

In  1913-14,  Canada  and  England,  in  approximately  equal  amounts, 
took  somewhat  less  than  two-thirds  of  these  exports.  Cuba,  Brazil, 
Argentina,  and  Japan  also  were  important  markets.  In  1917-18  the 
first  two  countries  took  an  increased  amount,  which,  however,  formed 
less  than  half  the  total  exports.  Increases  had  been  general  in  the 
value  of  the  goods  sent  to  the  other  countries. 

In  the  twelve  months  ended  June  30,  1914,  Germany  took  over 
$88,000  worth  of  our  optical  instruments. 

FOREIGN  PRODUCTION. 

'Germany  has  been  the  most  important  foreign  producer.  Eng- 
land, France,  Switzerland,  Austria-Hungary,  the  Netherlands,  and 
Sweden  also  produced  scientific  instruments. 

IMPORTS. 

Statistics  are  presented  here  for  duty-free  imports  only.  They 
include  many  articles  not  properly  classed  as  scientific  instruments. 
Duty-free  imports  were  valued  at  $545,000  in  1910  and  $704,000  in 
1914.  They  decreased  in  the  following  years,  falling  to  $57,000  in 
1917. 

In  the  five  years  preceding  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  1910-1914. 
Germany  furnished  approximately  80  per  cent  of  the  duty-free  im- 
ports. England,  France,  and  Austria-Hungary  were  next  in  im- 
portance. England  and  France  now  lead,  having  furnished  slightly 
less  than  40  per  cent  of  these  imports  in  the  years  1917-18. 

The  importation  of  scientific  instruments  has  been  steady  and  has 
arisen  from  a  number  of  different  causes. 

Prior  to  the  war,  some  classes  of  scientific  instruments  which  were 
used  in  this  country  were  not  produced  here,  but  were  entirely  im- 
ported. Among  such  instruments  may  be  mentioned  chronometers, 
hot-wire  electrical  instruments,  polariscopes  and  the  polarizing  parts 
of  such  instruments,  porcelain,  and  precision  spectrographs.  In 
the  case  of  instruments  of  the  very  highest  precision  there  is  demand 
for  an  extremely  small  number. 

Other  classes  of  instruments,  of  which  there  was  some  manufac- 
ture in  this  country,  were  imported  because  of  the  lower  price  of  the 
imported  article.  This  was  true  of  certain  balances  and  weights  of 
not  the  highest  precision  and  of  ammeters  and  voltmeters  of  low 
grade,  thermometers,  and  others. 

A  third  cause,  greater  convenience  in  use,  which  in  times  past 
often  led  to  the  preference  of  the  foreign-made  instruments,  is  illus- 
trated in  the  case  of  balances  and  weights.  The  German  balances 
were  frequently  equipped  with  devices  by  which  the  easy  and  ex- 
peditious handling  ol  weights,  and  thus  a  greater  speed  in  weighing, 
were  obtained. 


20  SCIENTIFIC    INSTRUMENTS. 

Statements  have  been  received  from  the  various  sections  of  the.4 
Bureau  of  Standards  concerning  the  reasons  why  certain  instruments 
were  imported.  The  Paper  Section  says  : 

In  regard  to  paper-testing  instruments,  imported  articles  are  largely  used 
because  i  here  are  none  of  domestic  manufacture.  The  machines  oi  Herman 
manufacture  seem  to  be  of  hand  construction  and  pi'.rt*  are  nor  interchangeable. 


The  Dispersoids  Section  states  that  the  imports  of  instruments 
were  due  chiefly  to  special  quality  and  characteristics. 

But  in  addition,  these  special  instruments  could  not  have  been  made  in  the 
United  States  of  America  as  cheaply,  because  of  the  small  demand  which  does 
not  i>eriiiit  the  economy  of  quantity  production. 

TARIFF  HISTORY. 

Paragraph  573  of  the  act  of  1913  exempts  from  duty  all  philo- 
sophical or  scientific  apparatus,  utensils,  or  instruments  for  educa- 
tional and  like  institutions.  This  exemption  dates  back  to  the  act  of 
1790.  Enlargements  of  the  classes  of  goods  or  institutions  were  made 
in  the  acts  of  1816,  1824,  1841,  and  1842.  The  provision  was  omitted 
from  the  act  of  1846  and  also  from  1864  to  1870,  since  which  time  free 
entry  has  been  uniformly  accorded. 

Three  rules  of  construction  have  competed,  each  at  times  success- 
fully, in  litigation.  First,  intrinsic  character  of  the  article;  second, 
chief  use  of  the  article  ;  and,  third,  intended  or  actual  use  of  the  par- 
ticular importation.  The  last  was  held  by  the  Court  of  Customs  Ap- 
peals to  be  the  proper  rule.  (United  States  r.  Kastor,  6  Ct.  Cust. 
Appls..  52.) 

Under  the  rule  of  actual  or  intended  use.  irrespective  of  the  nature 
of  the  article,  any  article  enumerated  in  the  tariff  act  might  be  re- 
garded as  philosophical  or  scientific  for  the  purposes  of  paragraph 
573.  All  articles  not  enumerated  fall  within  some  general  or  catch-all 
clause,  such  as  paragraph  167,  for  manufactures  of  metal  not  specially 
provided  for. 

COMPETITIVE  CONDITIONS. 

The  diverse  nature  of  the  articles  included  under  scientific  instru- 
ments —  ranging  from  the  large  *and  heavy  machines  used  in  the  test- 
ing of  construction  materials  to  those  of  great  delicacy  for  the  meas- 
urement of  light,  distance,  and  electricity  —  makes  general  statements 
misleading  as  to  the  competitive  conditions  in  the  industry. 

This  much  may  be  said,  however  :  Wherever  there  is  a  large  demand 
for  certain  instruments,  making  it  possible  to  manufacture  them  in 
fairhr  large  quantities,  the  American  manufacturer  has  an  advantage 
arising  from  large-scale  methods  of  production.  Such  conditions  are 
usually  present  when  the  instruments  have  a  wide  industrial  use*. 
Quantity  production  has  been  attained  in  ammeters  and  voltmeters, 
pressure  gauges,  and  to  some  extent  in  thermometers  and  weights  and 
balances. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  case  of  many  scientific  instruments,  there 
is  so  small  a  demand  —  and  so  few  arc  actually  in  use  —  that  the  older 
and  established  industries  of  Europe,  with  their  highly  skilled  and 
relatively  low  paid  labor,  have  heretofore  produced  at  less  cost.  Th» 
foreign  industries  have  given  more  attention  to  details  and  small 
orders  than  the  American  manufacturer.  An  additional  advantage 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS.  21 

has  consisted  of  the  fact  that  such  instruments  are  of  high  precision, 
often  requiring  handwork  of  high  skill,  developed  among  European 
workers  through  successive  generations.  Such  advantages  have 
gained  for  European  instruments  a  reputation  for  quality  against 
which  the  American  producers  have  encountered  difficulty  in  making 
headway. 

Instruments  of  this  class  are  often  used  exclusively  in  research 
work,  and  not  to  a  great  extent  in  private  or  industrial  laboratories. 
The  free  admission  of  instruments  for  educational  uses  has  applied 
at  the  point  where  the  American  producer  is  relatively  less  efficient. 
Many  such  instruments  enter  under  the  provision  for  free  admission 
of  instruments  and  apparatus  for  educational  and  other  institutions. 

European  industries  have  developed  scientific  instruments  of  the 
best  quality — and  highest  precision — and  their  market,  although 
from  the  nature  of  the  article  small,  is  world  wide.  There  has  been 
some  development,  also,  in  cheap  articles  of  inferior  quality,  such  as 
cheap  ammeters  and  voltmeters  and  cheap  thermometers. 

Another  consideration  bearing  on  instruments  of  this  class  is  the 
long  and  laborious  training  necessary  to  develop  the  scientific  knowl- 
edge and  skill  requisite  to  their  production — such  production  being, 
finally,  for  an  extremely  small  demand.  Such  knowledg;e  is  often 
confined  to  a  few  men,  who  have  devoted  years  to  the  particular  line 
of  work  by  which  the  instrument  is  produced,  and  is  to  be  gained 
by  others  only  through  a  similarly  long  course  of  training.  Braun 
tubes  may  be  given  as  an  illustration.1  They  are  not  made  in  this 
country,  and  the  knowledge  of  their  manufacture  is  confined  to  a 
few  German  scientists,  who  supply  the  demand  for  them. 

The  Precision  Instrument  Co.  states : 2 

In  the  production  of  instruments,  the  engineering  cost  of  development  and 
design  and  the  labor  cost  of  assembly  and  test  are  very  large  in  comparison 
with  the  cost  of  material,  etc.  The  increased  cost  of  manufacturing  instru- 
ments in  this  country  over  that  in  England  and  Germany  is  due  to  the  much 
higher  wages  paid  to  skilled  mechanics,  and  the  more  generous  salaries  of  tech- 
nically educated  men.  •  This  was  true  before  1914  and  will  evidently  be  equally 
true  in  the  future. 

Instruments  can  be  built  in  this  country  at  least  equal  to  those  made  abroad 
if  equal  time  and  labor  are  expended  on  the  development  and  design  and  on  the 
assembly  and  test  before  leaving  the  factory.  In  order  to  compete  with  foreign 
manufactures,  some  of  the  above-mentioned  expenses  may  have  been  saved  at 
times,  to  the  detriment  of  the  American-made  instrument.  In  such  cases,  the 
foreign  instruments  would  show  up  better,  and  thus  lead  to  the  impression 
that  equally  good  instruments  could  not  be  made  in  this  country. 

WAR   DEVELOPMENTS. 

The  outbreak  of  the  war,  followed  by  a  large  decrease  in  the'  im- 
portation of  instruments,  affected  domestic  production  in  varying 
degrees.  The  production  of  those  instruments,  which,  prior  to  the 
war,  were  both  made  in  this  country  and  imported,  has  been  greatly 
stimulated.  Instruments  which  were  directly  needed  for  military 
and  naval  purposes  have  been  manufactured  in  large  quantities. 
Thus  the  production  of  optical  instruments,  such  as  range  finders  in 
military  operations,  and  field  glasses,  has  been  greatly  increased. 
The  basic  element  of  such  instruments,  optical  glass,  formerly  im- 
ported in  large  quantities,  is  now  extensively  manufactured  here. 

1  Suggested  by  the  Bureau  of  Standards.  *  Letter,  July  7,  1919. 


22  SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 

This  industry  is  the  subject  of  another  report  of  the  Tariff  Com- 
mission, entitled  "  Optical  Glass  and  Chemical  Glassware." 

The  production  of  various  aeronautical  instruments  has  thus  been 
stimulated.  Precision  gauge  blocks,  necessary  as  reference  standards 
to  secure  accuracy  in  the  making  of  munitions,  and  other  commodi- 
ties where  the  assembling  and  accurate  fitting  together  of  parts  man- 
ufactured in  different  factories  was  necessary,  have  been  developed 
by  the  Bureau  of  Standards.  Such  blocks  were  formerly  made  only 
in  Sweden. 

Scientific  instruments  for  industrial  uses,  which  were  previously 
entirely  imported,  and  for  which  the  war  produced  no  direct  demand, 
have  been  developed  in  this  country  in  varying  degrees.  Polari- 
scopes  and  polariscope  prisms  have  not  been  actually  produced,  but 
their  manufacture  is  contemplated  by  at  least  one  company.  Con- 
cerning precision  instruments  for  measuring  the  strength  and  weight 
of  paper,  the  Thwing  Instrument  Co.  states : x 

Before  the  war  all  of  this  line  of  apparatus  was  of  European  manufacture, 
and  even  with  the  duty  prevailing,  the  line  did  not  look  attractive  to  American 
manufacturers.  During  the  war,  however,  this  source  of  supply  was  entirely 
cut  off,  while  the  demand  for  such  instruments,  owing  to  the  high  price  of 
paper  and  the  rapid  development  of  scientific  methods  in  the  paper  industry, 
was  urgent,  with  a  willingness  to  pay  prices  somewhat  higher  than  formerly 
prevailing.  Under  this  stimulus  some  entirely  new  instruments  have  been  de- 
veloped, and  marked  improvements  have  been  made  on  the  old  German  instru- 
ments. The  magnitude  of  this  business  is  as  yet  not  great,  but  it  is  an  example 
of  what  may  be  done  in  America  when  we  are  once  freed  from  the  notion  that 
instruments  of  precision  must  come  from  abroad. 

In  many  cases,  however,  the  manufacture  has  not  been  undertaken 
in  this  country.  A  representative  of  the  Dispersoids  Section  of  the 
Bureau  of  Standards  states,  relative  to  instruments  under  observa- 
tion by  that  section  which  were  entirely  of  foreign  make  prior  to  the 
war:2 

What  could  not  be  obtained  from  Germany  has  not  been  manufactured  else- 
where. Perhaps  this  is  due  to  the  unsettled  conditions,  but  I  suspect  that  Ameri- 
can manufacturers  will  not  bother  with  special  research  apparatus  which  has 
little  market. 

The  Spectroscopy  Section  says  that  there  has  been  "  practically  no 
change  "  in  the  grouping  of  instruments  according  as  they  were  en- 
tirely of  foreign  make  prior  to  the  war,  entirely  of  domestic  make,  or 
both  of  foreign  and  American  manufacture.  The  Colorimetry  Sec- 
tion says,  of  the  same  grouping,  that  there  has  been  "  no  actual  change 
yet." 

The  Radio  Communication  Section  presents  a  detailed  account  of 
the  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the  manufacture  of  scientific 
instruments  with  which  it  deals : 

Hot-wire  and  hot-strip  electrical  measuring  instruments  were  prior  to  1914 
procured  almost  entirely  from  Hartmann  &  Braun,  of  Frankfort,  Germany. 
They  can  now  be  secured  from  several  American  manufacturers.  The  larger 
scale  instruments  of  American  make,  covering  a  range  of  several  an»peres,  are 
probably  more  satisfactory  than  the  German  instruments.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  the  low-scale  instruments  of  American  make  are  at  the  present  time 
as  satisfactory  as  those  formerly  made  by  Hartmann  &  Braun.  This  bureau 
gave  to  one  American  manufacturer  a  Hartmann-Braun  instrument  to  copy,  and 
a  fairly  satisfactory  product  was  produced. 

1  Letter,  July  2,  1919. 

*  Ultramlcroscopes,  Marten's  photometers,  special  micrlscopic  apparatus,  ultranltration 
apparatus,  Nlcol  prisms,  precision  chemical  glassware. 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS.  23 

Before  the  war  the  Signal  Corps  and  some  other  Government  departments 
bought  variable  air  condensers,  wavemeters,  and  other  radio  apparatus  made  by 
the  Telefunken  Co.,  of  Germany.  Condensers  and  wavemeters  of  American 
make  can  now  be  secured  which  are  as  satisfactory  as  the  Telefunken  instru- 
ments. These  instruments  were  made  in  the  United  States  to  some  extent  prior 
to  the  war. 

Thermo-elements  and  thermo-galvanometers,  formerly  secured  almost  entirely 
from  Europe,  are  now  made  satisfactorily  in  this  country. 

Electrostatic  voltmeters  of  certain  types  are  not  yet  made  in  the  United 
States,  and  can  be  procured  only  from  abroad,  particularly  from  France. 

Before  1914  the  manufacture  of  the  electron  tube  (vacuum  tube)  for  use  in 
radiotelegraphy  was  very  largely  confined  to  the  United  States,  and  even  here  it 
was  small  in  comparison  with  its  present  importance.  These  tubes  are  now  made 
to  a  very  considerable  extent  in  England,  France,  and  Germany.  The  war  re- 
sulted in  an  enormous  increase  in  the  electron  tube  industry  in  the  United 
States. 

Cathode-ray  tubes  (Braun  tubes)  were  before  the  war  secured  only  from  Ger- 
many, and  at  the  present  time,  as  far  as  we  know,  Germany  is  still  the  only 
source.  This  bureau  has  been  obliged  to  build  its  own  Braun  tubes  with  such 
materials  as  it  could  secure. 

Einthoven  galvanometers  could  formerly  be  secured  only  from  abroad,  from 
the  Cambridge  Scientific  Instrument  Co.  They  are  now  being  made  also  by 
C.  F.  Hindel,  of  New  York. 

Before  the  war,  potentiometers  and  resistance  boxes  made  by  O.  Wolff,  of  Ber- 
lin, were  very  satisfactory  and  could  be  secured  at  reasonable  prices.  They 
were  both  better  and  cheaper  (on  basis  of  import  duty  free)  than  these  instru- 
ments of  American  make. 

It  is  probably  true  that  instruments  for  use  in  a  radio  research  laboratory 
can  be  procured  more  easily  from  American  manufacturers  because  of  the  fact 
that  many  radio  instruments  for  use  in  a  research  laboratory  are  the  same  as 
those  used  on  a  fairly  large  scale  for  commercial  purposes  in  commercial  radio 
stations. 

VARIOUS  TARIFF  VIEWS. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  only  place  in  which  scientific  instruments 
have  been  grouped  together  is  in  paragraph  573,  providing  for  their 
free  admission  when  imported  by  educational  and  certain  other  in- 
stitutions and  societies,  for  use  and  not  to  be  resold.  Instruments 
for  individuals  and  for  industrial  purposes  enter  under  various  para- 
graphs of  the  act.  Points  of  tariff  interest  are  the  free  admissjon 
of  such  instruments  for  educational  institutions,  the  desirability  of  a 
separate  grouping  of  such  articles,  and  the  rate  or  rates  of  duty.  On 
these  subjects  opinions  have  been  expressed  by  the  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards and  by  manufacturers. 

The  Kadiometry  Section  of  the  bureau  states : 

Many  of  the  items  mentioned  above  are  not  used  extensively,  and  on  ac- 
count of  heavy  overhead  charges  would  cost  more  to  manufacture  here  than 
abroad,  where  they  are  already  equipped.  Firms,  e.  g.,  Adam  Hilger,  London, 
have  already  raised  their  prices,  and  a  tariff  will  increase  the  cost.  The  free 
admission  for  educational  institutions  should  be  continued. 

A  somewhat  similar  statement  is  made  by  the  Heat  Measurements 
Section : 

In  general,  it  has  been  much  more  satisfactory  to  purchase  material  not 
adapted  for  quantity  production,  from  foreign  makers.  American  manufac- 
turers have  been  little  interested  in  apparatus  for  which  the  demand  is  limited 
and  their  prices  have  been  excessive  for  thi*  class  of  instruments.  Even  a 
small  change  in  a  standard  instrument  involves  disturbance  of  the  routine 
and  necessitates  a  large  charge,  while  the  foreign  maker  adjusts  himself  much 
more  readily  to  such  changes.  It  should  be  added,  however,  that  where  Euro- 
pean instruments  are  sold  through  an  American  agent  the  agent's  profit  absorbs 
most  of  the  foreigner's  advantage. 


24  SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS. 

Another  point  of  view  is  expressed  by  the  High  Temperature 
Section  of  the  bureau : 

A  moderate  tariff  on  scientific  instruments  and  no  exemptions  to  universi- 
ties or  educational  institutions.  Many  universities  resell  their  imports  to  the 
students  either  in  the  guise  of  laboratory  fees  or  breakage  fees.  For  fairness  to 
all — either  no  tariff  or  a  tariff  for  everyone. 

The  Clay  Products  Section  states : 

It  has  been  proven  during  the  last  three  years  that  scientific  instruments  of 
high  grade  can  be  made  by  American  manufacturers.  There  are,  of  course, 
exceptional  cases  where  precision  instruments  of  special  design  may  have  to  be 
imported.  We  are  opposed  to  the  free  admission  of  apparatus  for  educational 
institutions  as  being  an  unfair  and  antiquated  practice  no  longer  applicable  un- 
der the  present  conditions.  American  manufacturers  should  be  protected,  and 
this  is  the  only  way  in  which  a  strong  domestic  industry  of  this  kind  can  be 
developed. 

Leeds  &  Northrup,  manufacturers  of  electrical  instruments,  rela- 
tive to  the  duty-free  clause  have  this  to  say : * 

It  is  not  so  mucbj  the  monetary  value  of  the  duty-free  imports  of  scientific 
instruments  that  has  prevented  the  growth  of  the  scientific  instrument  business, 
but  because  these  duty-free  instruments  have  gone  out  into  educational  institu- 
tions, where  we  will  get  our  future  technically  trained  men  for  the  industries  and 
for  research.  These  men,  as  a  consequence,  have  been  trained  in  the  use  of 
foreign  rather  than  American  instruments.  As  a  result,  when  they  go  into 
industrial  or  research  work  they  are  already  biased  in  favor  of  the  foreign 
apparatus  with  which  they  were  trained.  Scientific  instruments  are  used 
either  for  research  and  educational  work  or  for  control  of  industrial  processes. 
We  can  only  trail  behind  foreign  efforts  in  the  direction  of  research  and  scien- 
tific industrial  application  if  we  employ  their  instruments.  If  we  expect  this 
country  to  develop  a  technique  in  industrial  processes  that  is  not  simply  a  copy 
of  foreign  methods,  we  must  stimulate  the  production  of  scientific  instruments 
in  the  United  States. 

The  Crosby  Steam  Gauge  &  Valve  Co.2  finds  the  free  importation 
of  such  instruments  of  less  importance : 

In  our  opinion,  based  upon  our  experience  and  knowledge  of  what  several 
scientific  schools  have  done,  the  importation  of  scientific  instruments  imported 
for  the  use  of  educational  institutions  is  so  small  as  not  to  have  any  appreciable 
con^mercial  effect  or  influence,  and  is  likely  to  be  much  less  in  future  rather 
than  more.  The  privilege  of  free  importation  enables  such  educational  institu- 
tions to  have  samples  of  foreign  apparatus  for  comparison  with  articles  of 
domestic  manufacture,  resulting  in  our  general  benefit  and  advancement, 
rather  than  merely  replacing  domestic  articles  for  their  general  use. 

The  preliminary  information  covered  by  this  report  suggests  that 
the  establishment  of  a  single  rate  of  duty  upon  a  class  of  goods  under 
the  specification  "  scientific  instruments,"  "  scientific  materials," 
"  scientific  apparatus,"  or  some  similar  general  designation,  would 
result  in  inequality  in  adjustment  between  the  different  instruments 
manufactured  here,  and  between  those  of  which  the  manufacture  is 
contemplated.  The  specification  of  scientific  instruments  in  one 
group,  with  a  single  rate  of  duty  applying  to  all  items,  does  not  take 
into  account  the  very  different  competitive  positions  which  the  indi- 
vidual instruments  or  classes  of  instruments  occupy.  On  the  other 
hand,  classification  or  individual  specification  of  the  many  instru- 
ments which  may  be  grouped  under  the  term  "  scientific  instruments  " 
calls  for  a  detailed  determination  of  the  competitive  position  of  each 
instrument  or  group  of  instruments.  It  should  also  be  noted  that 

1  Letter  of  July   8,   1919.  2  Letter  of  July  10,  1919. 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS.  25 

duties  on  instruments  not  manufactured  here,  and  on  those  the  manu- 
facture of  which  is  not  contemplated,  are  a  tax  upon  the  consumers 
of  such  articles.  The  present  method  of  specification  by  name — for 
example,  lenses,  optical  instruments,  microscopes,  and  telescopes — 
could  be  extended  to  scientific  instruments  not  now  provided  for  by 
name,  according  to  the  needs  of  the  instrument  or  group  of  instru- 
ments in  question,  while  those  of  not  sufficient  importance  for  enu- 
meration would  fall,  as  at  present,  under  the  catch-all  clauses  of 
the  Act. 

EXCERPTS    FROM    LETTERS    OF    MANUFACTURERS— BUREAU    OF    STAND- 
ARDS' ANSWERS  TO  QUESTIONNAIRE— LETTERS  FROM  UNIVERSITIES. 

COMPETITIVE   CONDITIONS. 
[Prom  various  Sections  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards.] 

In  most  cases  both  price,  quality,  and  special  characteristics  let!  to  importa- 
tion. In  the  case  of  quantity  importations,  cheapness  was  the  governing  factor, 
hut  for  high-precision  instruments  the  high  quality  and  special  characteristics 
of  the  foreign  instruments  was  the  cause  of  their  importation.  (Chemistry 
Division.) 

The  imports  were  made  because  of  cheapness,  superior  quality,  and  often 
exclusive  make.  Mirror  spectrometers,  quartz-fluorite  apparatus,  bismuth 
wire,  were  obtainable  only  from  England,  Germany,  etc.  Thomson  galva- 
nometers, thermopiles,  were  all  made  in  Germany.  (Radiometry.) 

Commercially  there  is  no  need  of  import  of  gas-testing  equipment  since 
American  made  is  far  superior.  Import  is  only  for  purposes  of  comparison. 
(Gas  Engineering.) 

Foreign  instruments  well  made  and  more  dependable  for  precision  work. 
Instruments  such  as  dividing  engines  only  made  as  "  special "  in  this  country 
and  hence  of  higher  price.  ( Length. ) 

Imports  due  to:  (a)  Special  quality,  generally  containing  optical  materials 
not  made  or  found  in  United  States;  e.  g.,  unusual  types  of  glass,  optical  rock 
salt,  etc. 

(b)  Special  characteristics — exquisite  precision,  workmanship,  most  highly 
specialised  handwork.  ( Spectroscopy. ) 

Use  of  imported  instruments  by  the  commercial  field  has  been  due  almost 
entirely  to  "  special  characteristics,"  for  example : 

Frequency  meters  of  a  special  type  involving  much  hand  labor. 

Unipivot  instruments  are  of  special  type  giving  great  sensitiveness. 

Foreign  manufacturers  (particularly  German)  have  developed  specialized 
instruments  which  are  only  used  in  relatively  small  number. 

Freedom  from  diity  has  led  educational  institutions  to  choose  high-grade 
foreign  instruments  because  of  cheapness  also.  (Electrical  Measuring  In- 
struments, Meters,  and  Transformers.) 

Imports  due  to  special  quality  and  characteristics.  Superior  lenses,  more 
attention  paid  to  details  of  mechanical  construction.  (Microscopy  of  Metals.) 

Imports  under  Gauge  Section  not  due  to  greater  cheapness.  Foreign-made 
micrometer  microscopes  are  better  made  and  more  accurate  than  those  of 
American  manufacturer.  Foreign-made  gauge  blocks  are  being  satisfactorily 
replaced  by  American  manufacturers.  (Gauge  Section.) 

The  "  foreigner  "  functions  intensively,  the  American  extensively.  On  this 
account  I  believe  foreign  instruments  are  devised  in  some  cases  with  greater 
care  and  attention  to  detail  and  are  more  accurate  and  sensitive,  for  example, 
galvanometers,  thermometers,  etc.  (Testing  Machines.) 

Imports  of  thermometers  were  due  to  price.  Equally  good  are  now  made  by 
the  American  manufacturers.  (Thermometry.) 

All  these  factors  (price,  quality,  special  characteristics),  enter  into  the  ques- 
tion to  some  extent,  but  the  special  quality  of  the  foreign  instruments  is  prob- 
ably the  most  important  factor.  (Radio  Communication.) 

Cheapness  was  a  large  element  in  importation  of  analytical  balances  and 
weights.  Special  quality  and  special  characteristics  combined  in  highest  pre- 
cision testing  balances. 


26  SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 

Special  characteristics  were  large  element  in  rather  small  number  of  im- 
portations. (Mass.) 

Imports  of  volumetric  glassware  were  In  great  measure  due  to  greater 
cheapness.  Special  quality  also  contributed  before  the  war,  but  not  now 
(Volumetric.) 

[From  manufacturers.] 

Foreign  labor  is  cheap :  Germany  has  a  "  practical  monopoly  "  of  the  college 
trade.  (Queen-Gray  Co.,  Mar.  26,  1918.) 

Up  until  about  10  years  ago  speed  indicators  for  machinery,  ordinarily 
called  in  the  trade  Tachometers,  were  almost  exclusively  manufactured  for  the 
United  States  requirements  in  this  country.  But  during  the  past  10  years 
very  strong  competition  with  cheaper  instruments  was  introduced  oy  Germany 
and  lately,  since  Germany  is  out  of  the  market,  by  Switzerland.  Tariff  asked, 
25  to  40  per  cent.  (Schaeffer  &  Budenberg  Manufacturing  Co.,  July  2,  1919.) 

Union  Thermometer  Co.  in  1918  exported  one-third  of  their  product  of  clini- 
cal thermometers.  Former  imports  of  thermometers  due  to  less  price ;  Ameri- 
can quality  now  better.  (Union  Thermometer  Co.,  July  3,  1919.) 

Slocomb  micrometers  are  used  all  over  the  world.  (Ad.  J.  T.  Slocomb  Co., 
letterhead.) 

Germany  and  United  States  principal  manufacturers  of  micrometers.  Aggres- 
sive sales  campaign  by  Schuchardt  &  Schutte  to  sell  micrometers  on  price  basis ; 
10  salesmen  in  this  country  in  1913-14.  '  (T.  R.  Almond  Manufacturing  Co., 
July  5,  1919.) 

Wages  in  this  country  four  times  as  high  as  in  Germany.  (Central  Scientific 
Co.,  July  7,  1919.) 

Imports  of  electrical  measuring  instruments  have  been  due,  in  the  past,  to 
the  cheapness  of  the  foreign  product.  Larger  market  gives  foreign  producer 
the  advantage  of  producing  in  larger  quantity.  (Leeds  &  Northrup,  July  8, 
1919.) 

Prior  to  1914  we  could  only  compete  with  high-grade  scales,  as  we  do  manu- 
facture a  better  scale  than  is  manufactured  abroad,  but  we  can  not  compete  with 
the  cheaper  scales  or  any  special  scale.  (Christian  Becker  (Inc.),  July  10, 
1919.) 

Only  reason  for  imports  of  balances  and  weights  was  cheapness.  (Newton 
Balance  Corporation,  July  12,  1919.) 

These  facts  indicate  that  the  tariffs  before  the  war  were  not  quite  sufficient 
to  protect  American  industries  and  build  up  the  manufacture  of  accurate  instru- 
ments. Where  the  demand  was  sufficient  to  justify  quantity,  manufacture  and 
the  accuracy  required  was  not  great,  American  manufacturers  have  apparently 
been  able  to  meet  foreign  competition,  such  as  in  speedometers  for  automobiles, 
cheap  pressure  gauges,  etc.  (Precision  Instrument  Co.,  -July  7,  1919.) 

Ten  years  before  the  war  practically  all  pyrometers  used  in  this  country  were 
imported  from  Europe.  As  early  as  1906  I  should  estimate  that  the  pyrometer 
business  had  developed  in  this  country  so  that  one-third  of  the  instruments  were 
made  in  America ;  while  in  1914  I  should  estimate  that  fully  80  per  cent  of 
pyrometers  used  in  this  country  were  made  in  this  country,  and  that  as  many 
pyrometers  were  exported  as  were  imported.  Even  at  that  time,  however,  and 
in  spite  of  the  large  duty  prevailing,  European  manufacturers  were  able  to  sell 
in  competition  with  American  instruments.  Instruments  exported  were  not 
exported  to  Europe,  but  to  Japan  and  South  America.  American  instruments 
are  now  equal  in  quality.  (Thwing  Intrument  Co.,  July  2,  1919.) 

*  *  *  We  wish  to  advise  that  in  our  experience  as  manufacturers  of  sci- 
entific instruments,  where  we  have  been  subject  to  foreign  competition,  it  was 
because  of  the  cheapness  of  the  foreign  commodi^  in  every  case.  We  have 
been  subject  to  continued  competition  of  foreignpmade  articles  where  their 
quality  was  greatly  inferior  to  ours,  but  because  of  the  much  cheaper  price 
to  the  consumer  in  this  country,  even  after  having  paid  the  duty,  the  consiuner 
has  been  led  to  buy  the  foreign  article,  as  it  would  usually  perform  his  work, 
after  a  fashion.  We  have  been  manufacturing  during  the  last  year  or  two  one 
or  two  scientific  instruments  which  we  have  inside  up  in  absolute  duplicate  to 
instruments  which  were  imported  into  this  country  before  the  war.  We  were 
called  upon  to  make  up  these  instruments  because  the  importation  of  the  same 
was  suspended  on  account  of  the  war.  After  having  made  one  or  two  lots 
of  these  instruments,  we  were  able  to  ascertain  our  manufacturing  costs  and 
the  price  at  which  we  could  sell  the  same,  with  a  reasonable  profit.  The  mini- 
mum price  which  we  could  make  to  importers  in  this  country,  who  had  given 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS.  27 

us  orders  for  these  above  instruments,  was  from  two  to  three  times  the  price, 
including  the  duty,  which  they  had  paid  for  the  same  when  manufactured 
abroad,  a  short  time  before.  We  are  not  anticipating  manufacture  of  these  in- 
struments for  the  perfectly  apparent  reason  that  when  importation  of  these 
instruments  is  again  resumed  by  foreign  manufacturers  they  can  undersell 
us  at  least  50  per  cent  with  the  import  duties  now  In  existence.  (Emerson 
Apparatus  Co.,  July  16,  1919.) 

We  have  vastly  increased  facilities,  due  to  the  demand  made  upon  us  by 
our  Government  (Army  and  Navy  Departments'  Medical  Supply  Depots). 
*  *  *  Since  about  1875  we  started  In  the  manufacture  of  scientific  instru- 
ments, particularly  microscopes,  which  could  be  produced  in  fairly  large  quan- 
tity, and  we  had  to  struggle  hard  to  market  them  to  educational  Institutions, 
who  used  about  85  per  cent  of  this  product,  leaving  us  for  many  years  no  profit 
and  lately  only  a  very  small  one,  especially  when  you  consider  the  scientific 
staff  which  we  are  obliged  to  maintain  and  the  skill  required  to  produce  them. 
(Bausch  &  Lomb,  July  23,  1919.) 

Labor  conditions  abroad  are  different  from  those  in  this  country.  Blown 
glassware,  for  example,  is  often  produced  by  members  of  one  family,  who 
market  their  ware  through  brokers  and  dealers.  Another  factor  that  makes 
it  essential  to  build  up  these  industries  in  this  country  is  the  fact  that  to 
produce  instruments  of  precision  requires  a  certain  painstaking  thoroughness 
in  workmanship  which  the  young  American  has  not  been  encouraged  to  prac- 
tice. For  example,  some  of  the  scientific  instruments  that  have  been  made 
abroad  were  made  by  hand,  and  our  workmen  did  not  have  the  mental  training 
to  make  them  sufficiently  skillful,  and  wages  prevented  us  from  educating 
them.  With  large  scale  production  machines  can  be  introduced  that  will  make 
them  more  uniform  and  with  smaller  tolerance  of  errors  than  is  possible 
with  even  the  most  skilled  foreign  worker.  This,  of  course,  can  not  be  done 
if  a  large  part  of  the  market  is  taken  from  the  American  manufacturer,  by 
permitting  duty  free  importation,  which  brings  in  a  competition  of  the  lowly 
paid  European  worker.  (The  Denver  Fire  Clay  Co.,  July  23,  1919.) 

CHANGES  DUE  TO  WAR  CONDITIONS. 

[From  various  Sections  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards.] 

Many,  but  not  all,  types  of  balances  can  now  be  made.  Laboratory  rheostats 
are  bought  here  exclusively  (at  a  price!).  The  other  instruments  formerly  of 
foreign  make  exclusively  have  not  been  purchased  since  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  and  probably  could  not  be.  All  instruments  under  class  3  (precision  wheat- 
stone  bridges,  precision  potentiometers,  standard  resistances,  precision  amme- 
ters and  voltmeters,  colorimetric  apparatus,  accessory  electrical  apparatus — 
both  made  here  and  imported  prior  to  the  war)  are  now  purchased  exclusively 
in  this  country.  (Heat  Measurements.) 

A  somewhat  higher  grade  metallographic  microscope  may  be  obtained  now  in 
the  United  States  than  before  the  war.  The  present  American-made  instru- 
ments do  not  appear  as  yet  to  be  equal  to  the  foreign-made  ones  obtained  before 
the  war.  (Microscopy  of  Metal.) 

Vacuum-walled  vessels  for  thermal  insulation,  used  especially  (in  scientific 
work)  for  the  storage  of  liquefied  gases,  were  both  manufactured  here  and  im- 
ported prior  to  the  war.  Before  the  war  we  obtained  high-grade  glass  vessels 
designed  for  scientific  work  from  Germany.  Now  we  make  our  own  when  high 
quality  is  necessary.  Glass,  vacuum-walled  food  containers  are  made  in  large 
numbers  in  this  country.  They  are  usually  good  enough  for  food  containers  but 
not  for  all  scientific  purposes.  We  use  them  when  high  efficiency  is  not  neces- 
sary. 

Well-designed  metal  vacuum-walled  containers  are  made  in  England.  These 
are  intended  for  liquefied  gases.  Inferior  metal  containers  intended  for  food 
are  made  in  this  country.  Practically  no  change  due  to  war.  (Low  Tempera- 
ture. ) 

Large  numbers  of  Beckman  thermometers  are  now  being  manufactured  in 
this  country,  since  the  supply  of  German  instruments  has  been  practically  cut 
off.  The  output  of  all  kinds  of  thermometers  had  greatly  increased  in  this 
country  due  to  the  embargo  on  importations.  (Thermometry.) 

American  makers  are  now  supplying  practically  all  weights  and  balances  ex- 
cept highest  precision  balances  and  some  with  special  attachments  for  rapid 
work. 


28 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 


Developments  are  under  way  for  producing  more  balances  with  the  special 
attachments  (some  are  on  the  market). 

Highest  precision  balances  for  testing  probably  will  be  built  here  when  needed. 
(Mass.) 

There  has  been  a  desire  to  develop  paper  testing  machines  to  replace  those 
of  foreign  manufacture.  This  is  especially  true  in  regard  to  the  micrometers 
and  paper  scales.  There  is  a  heavy  demand  in  the  paper  industry  for  an  Ameri- 
can tensile  and  folding  machine.  (Paper.) 

The  necessities  of  war  forced  a  great  increase  in  the  production  of  high-grade 
field  glasses,  fire-control  instruments,  and  photographic  lenses.  This  country 
could  get  on  very  well  without  importing  any  of  class  (c)  (field  glasses,  tele- 
scopes, fire-control  instruments,  microscopes,  cameras,  projection  instruments, 
clamps,  optical  benches  and  parts,  photographic  lenses,  gas  or  mercury  tubes  for 
production  of  certain  spectral  lines — both  made  here  and  imported  prior  to  the 
war)  except  possibly  some  types  of  photographic  lenses.  Class  (a)  (Pulfrich 
and  Abbe  refractometers,  spectrometers — except  certain  low  grade — pho- 
tometer (Martin's)  entirely  imported  before  the  war)  must  still  be  imported. 
(Optical  Instruments.) 

The  following  sections  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  report  that 
there  has  been  little  or  no  change  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  in 
the  classification  of  instruments  falling  under  class  A  (those  almost 
wholly  of  foreign  make  prior  to  the  war),  class  B  (those  almost 
wholly  of  domestic  make  prior  to  the  war),  and  Class  C  (those  both 
of  foreign  and  domestic  make  prior  to  the  war)  : x 


Number  of  instruments  re- 
ported in- 

Class  A. 

Class  B. 

Class  C. 

A"o  change  in  classific 

Engineering  instroments,  miscelln 
Bispersoids  

ation  during  the  war  period. 
neo'.is  materials  

1 

5 

3 
2 
2 

2 

0)      5 
8 
5 

1 

1 

(») 
1 

Investigation  and  test  of  scales 

Textile  section     

1 

1 
5 

Masnetic  measurement  

2 

7 
1 

5 
(*) 

1 

Inter  ferometry 

Low  temperature 

Little  if  any  change  in  classification  during  the  irar  period.. 
Gas  measurements                   ....-    -  

1 

Gas  engineering 

Practically  no  change  in  classification  during  war  period. 
Spectroscopy  

3 

7 

Xr>  actual  change  in  classification  yet. 
Colorimetry  .  . 

Only  occasional  imports. 


i  No  answer.  *  Practically  all. 

[From  manufacturers.] 

We  believe  that  the  scientific  instrument  business  in  this  country  will  suffer 
a  much  greater  competition  in  the  future  than  before  the  war,  for  the  reason 
that  all  instrument  factories  in  Europe  were  greatly  extended  to  take  care  of 
war  needs,  and  they  now  stand  ready  to  greatly  increase  their  normal  peace 
output.  This  may  find  a  foreign  outlet  even  at  no  profit  to  help  carry  the 
already  established  increased  overhead  charges,  and  to  keep  the  new  and 
very  large  force  of  employees  busy.  Next  to  munition  making,  perhaps  the 
scientific  instrument  business  was  the  most  extended  industry  in  Europe  for 
war  needs.  As  it  is  also  a  peace  industry,  it  is  the  one  line  above  all  others 
that  will  try  to  find  an  outlet  in  the  United  States  and  South  America. 
(Leeds  &  Northrup,  July  8,  1919.) 

1  See  list,  p.  12,  and  following. 


SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS.  29 

To  our  best  belief  and  knowledge  there  were  no  refractometers,  sacchari- 
meters,  colorimeters,  and  polariscopes  made  in  this  country  before  the  war 
and  if  so  they  were  very  negligible  in  quantity.  We  have  had  in  mind  for  some 
time  the  manufacture  of  these  instruments  and  are  now  undertaking  their 
manufacture,  feeling  confident  of  our  ability  to  produce  them  successfully  in 
this  country.  (Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co.,  July  22,  1919.) 

TARIFF   CONSIDERATIONS. 

[From  various  Sections  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards.] 

It  is  thought  that  manufacturers  In  this  country  can  develop  paper-testing 
apparatus,  and  that  it  would  be  desirable.  A  high  tariff  on  paper-testing  in- 
struments, made  by  Schopper,  would  be  well.  (Paper.) 

Since  satisfactory  types  of  nearly  all  photometric  instruments  can  now  be 
obtained  in  this  country,  whereas  formerly  it  was  necessary  to  import  much 
of  it  from  Germany,  I  believe  that  its  manufacture  in  the  United  States 
should  be  encouraged  and  protected.  (Photometry  and  Illuminating  Engineer- 
ing.) 

It  is  believed  that  with  the  levying  of  a  suitable  tariff  on  these  instruments 
that  satisfactory  substitutes  will  be  developed  in  the  United  States.  (En- 
gineering Materials.) 

A  protective  tariff  may  choke  scientific  work  by  making  scientific  apparatus 
too  expensive  for  the  poverty-stricken  institutions  trying  to  do  it.  If  Govern- 
men  institutions  and  universities,  etc.,  are  duty  free,  the  American  manufac- 
turer is  not  much  helped,  as  these  are  the  largest  purchasers.  I  think  a  better 
procedure  would  be  the  positive  method  of  Government  subsidy,  and  recogni- 
tion, and  honor,  the  method  so  successful  in  Germany.  But  a  protective 
tariff  would  be  better  than  nothing.  ( Dispersoids. ) 

Educational  institutions  should  not  be  hampered  in  their  endeavors  to  obtain 
the  best  instruments  available  for  scientific  research.  (Microscopy  of  Metals.) 

I  believe  that  instruments  for  scientific  purposes  should  always  be  imported 
free  of  duty.  There  should  be  no  restrictions  on  scientific  research.  It  seems, 
however,  that  American  apparatus  should  be  used  for  purposes  of  instruction 
when  available  and  reliable.  (Testing  Machines.) 

Free  admission  is  highly  desirable,  at  least  on  instruments  of  the  highest 
precision,  although  for  much  work  of  lower  precision  the  use  of  American 
instruments  should  be  encouraged.  (Length.) 

A  high  tariff  on  these  instruments  would  undoubtedly  restrict  educational 
and  research  facilities  in  the  United  States  for  many  years.  ( Spectroscopy. ) 

No 'artificial  restriction  should  be  placed  upon  the  scientific  investigations  of 
educational  institutions.  ( Interferometry. ) 

There  should  be  a  tariff  of  at  least  50  per  cent  on  all  classes,  including  acces- 
sories and  polariscope  tubes,  and  there  should  be  no  exemptions  for  educational 
institutions.  The  sugar  industry  of  the  United  States  is  the  largest  in  the 
world  and  all  apparatus  needed  should  be  made  in  our  own  country.  (Polar- 
imetry. ) 

Use  of  commercial  electrical  measuring  instruments,  meters,  transformers, 
etc.,  by  educational  institutions,  constitutes  only  a  small  fraction  of  the 
total  use  in  this  country.  Therefore,  free  admission  for  such  institutions  would 
not  injure  the  American  industry  appreciably,  but  would  be  of  material  aid  to 
the  institutions  in  securing  special  types  of  apparatus.  (Electrical  Measuring 
Instruments,  Meters,  and  Transformers.) 

I  believe  substantial  tariff  protection  for  these  industries  with  duty-free  im- 
portation for  educational  and  Government  institutions  is  greatly  to  be  desired. 
These  remarks  apply  to  the  whole  scientific-instrument  industry,  not  merely 
those  enumerated  herein.  (Chemical  Metallurgy.) 

American  manufacturers  can  and  should  manufacture  all  scientific  instru- 
ments required  for  educational  and  investigative  work  in  this  country.  (Tele- 
phone Service  Standards.) 

All  necessary  apparatus  is  manufactured  in  this  country  and  there  is  no  real 
need  for  importing  any  for  textile  testing  and  investigating.  (Textile.) 

I  have  talked  with  a  number  of  manufacturers  in  regard  to  a  revision  of  the 
tariff  on  instruments.  I  think  their  attitude  is  well  taken  especially  as  regards 
their  objection  to  free  admission  of  instruments  for  educational  institutions. 
Even  before  the  war  it  was  demonstrated  that  a  large  number  of  the  thermome- 
ters imported  were  inferior  to  American  makes,  but  their  cheapness  influenced 
educational  institutions  into  purchasing  them.  Certain  types  of  inclosed-scale 


30  SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 

thermometers  are  now  being  manufactured  in  this  country,  but  their  output  is 
limited  on  account  of  scarcity  of  skilled  help  and  the  reluctance  of  manufac- 
turers to  train  new  men,  if  after  the  war  the  quantities  of  this  type  of  ther- 
mometer, now  undoubtedly  stored  in  foreign  countries,  were  allowed  to  be 
dumped  on  the  market.  (Thermometry.) 

In  common  with  most  chemists,  as  I  believe,  I  indorse  the  resolution  passed 
by  the  Council  of  the  American  Chemical  Society  at  its  last  meeting  in  April 
of  this  year,  which  is,  in  part,  as  follows  : 

"The  council  expresses  its  opinion  that  the  development  of  American-made 
glassware,  chemicals,  and  chemical  apparatus  should  be  encouraged  in  every 
way,  and  that  for  a  reasonable  period  of  years  at  least  the  pre.  ent  laws  allow- 
ing duty-free  importation  to  colleges,  scientific  and  educational  institutions 
of  chemicals  and  chemical  apparatus  be  revoked." 

The  above  resolution,  I  believe,  was  intended  to  include  instruments  as  well 
as  apparatus. 

I  feel,  however,  that  through  a  limited  embargo  or  licensing  system  or  any 
means  that  will  secure  the  end  aimed  at,  the  consumer  should  be  protected 
against  unduly  high  prices.  Thus,  he  should  not  have  to  pay  duty  on  articles 
that  are  not  manufactured  in  this  country. 

Further,  limited  free  importation  on  all  articles  would  enable  the  consumer 
to  know  at  all  times — 

(a)  The  difference  in  price  between  domestic  and  foreign  ware  and  espe- 
cially (&)  the  difference  in  quality.  This  last  will  secure  a  twofold  purpose — 

(1)  It  will  spur  the  domestic  manufacturers  to  maintain  the  quality  of  their 
product  always  at  least  equal  to  that  of  foreign  make. 

(2)  If  domestic  manufacturers  fail  to  maintain  such  quality,  it  will  give 
the  consumer  valid  reason  for  buying  abroad  and  for  urging  in  the  extreme 
case  the  abrogation  of  duty. 

The  feeling  that  some  such  check  is  needed  is  evidenced  by  the  wording  of 
the  resolution  quoted  above. 

In  further  illustration  of  the  desirability  of  limited  free  importation  the 
following  situation  merits  consideration :  Many  essential  instruments  are  pro- 
duced in  such  small  quantities  that  the  returns  appeal  to  few,  if  any,  domestic 
manufacturers,  and  if  made  to  order  here  would  cost  far  in  excess  of  an  im- 
ported article,  and  by  reason  of  inexperience  in  manufacture  might  be  much 
inferior.  Past  experience  has  shown  this  to  be  true.  It  would  be  an  unneces- 
sary hardship  to  impose  a  tax  upon  the  consumer  for  such  articles.  (Chemis- 
try Division.) 

[From  manufacturers.] 

Development  of  manufacture  of  scientific  instruments  in  United.  States 
would  open  opportunity  to  technically  trained  college  men.  (Queen-Gray  Co., 
Mar.  26.  1918.) 

Home  manufacture  means  the  placing  of  larger  resources  at  the  disposal  of 
the  scientist  and  the  commercial  consumer.  (Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co., 
Jan.  29,  1919.) 

With  reference  to  duty-free  importation  to  educational  institutions,  this 
has  been  urged  with  the  claim  that  no  advance  in  science  should  be  denied 
our  American  students  (and)  the  idea  that  foreign-made  instruments  »are 
superior  to  those  made  in  this  country.  As  the  student  is  at  an  impression- 
able age,  a  lasting  impression  is  made  which  the  American  instrument  manu- 
facturer finds  hard  to  combat  when  the  student  has  later  entered  commercial 
life  and  wishes  to  purchase  instruments. 

These  facts  indicate  that  the  tariffs  before  the  war  were  not  quite  sufficient 
to  protect  American  industries,  and  build  up  the  manufacture  of  accurate  in- 
struments. Where  the  demand  was  sufficient  to  jusify  quantity  manufacture, 
and  the  accuracy  required  was  not  great,  American  manufacturers  have  appar- 
ently been  able  to  meet  foreign  competition,  such  as  in  speedometers  for  auto- 
mobiles, cheap  pressure  gauges,  etc.  (Precision  Instrument  Co..  July  7,  1919.) 

*  *  *  A  tariff  equivalent  to  the  difference  in  the  wage  paid  will  be  neces 
sary  for  us  to  compete.  I  consider  that  granted  equal  wages  are  paid  in  the 
above  foreign  countries  as  compared  with  the  wages  of  our  own  men,  we  can 
satisfactorily  compete  with  foreign-made  instruments.  (Brown  Instrument 
Co.,  July  8,  1919.) 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  instrument  business  is  the  most  vital  of  any 
for  the  successful  prosecution  of  war.  The  next  war  will  be  even  more  a  war 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS.  31 

of  applied  science,  and,  therefore,  any  plan  of  preparedness  must  consider 
every  means  for  protecting  and  fostering  this  work.  (Leeds  &  Northrup, 
July  8,  1919.) 

Having  been  for  many  pears  prior  to  1906  a  professor  of  physics  I  know  that 
in  the  purchase  of  apparatus  for  institutions  having  the  duty-free  privilege, 
the  reduction  in  cost  was  often  the  determining  factor  which  compelled  the 
purchase  of  foreign  instruments,  and  that  this  situation  was  largely  responsi- 
ble for  the  slow  development  in  America  of  the  manufacture  of  measuring 
Instruments  of  precision.  Personally  I  believe  the  policy  of  allowing  the  im- 
portation of  such  instruments  wholly  duty  free  Is  a  mistake.  If  educational 
institutions  are  unable  to  pay  the  full  price,  other  means  of  endowing  them 
would  be  provided.  We  ourselves  are  accustomed  to  give  a  special  discount 
to  educational  institutions,  especially  since  we  know  that  in  nine  cases  out 
of  ten  they  can  by  reason  of  direct  contact  with  us  obtain  apparatus  more 
nearly  suited  to  their  requirements  than  the  stock  apparatus  which  they 
would  obtiiin  from  Europe;  moreover,  there  is  a  great  saving  of  time,  and  I 
believe  that  with  the  habit  of  buying  at  home  once  formed,  foreign  apparatus 
would  not  ordinarily  be  imported,  except  when  it  could  not  be  duplicated  in 
America.  (Thwing  Instrument  Co.,  July  2,  1919.) 

As  to  permitting  scientific  instruments  or  testing  machinery,  etc.,  free  of 
duty  into  this  country  for  educational  purposes  we  do  not  see  that  this  Is 
necessary  as  it  only  tends  to  put  a  damper  on  the  inventive  genius  in  our  own 
country  so  that  we  can  not  compete. 

Where  an  article  is  made  in  large  quantities  and  processes  of  manufacture 
can  be  thoroughly  systematized  there  seems  to  be  little  difficulty  in  competition, 
but  where,  as  in  the  scientific  instruments  and  testing  machinery,  the  various 
machines  are  built  to  order  and  in  small  quantities,  the  cost  can  not  be  re- 
duced to  compete  with  low-priced  labor. 

Owing  to  insufficient  protection  before  the  war  a  large  amount  of  scientific 
instruments  were  imported,  and  owing  to  low  prices  thus  only  obtainable 
from  the  other  side,  and  this  caused  considerable  difficulty,  which  Instrument 
makers  and  machine  builders  had  to  overcome,  and  we  certainly  believe  that 
with  proper  protection  and  elimination  of  free  entry  on  instruments  for 
educational  institutions,  etc.,  this  country  will  be  in  position  to  supply  almost 
any  class  and  type  of  instruments.  (Tinius  Olsen  Testing  Machine  Co.,  July  15, 
1919.) 

High  tariff  necessary  to  protect  from  foreign  competition.  (Wm.  Gaertner 
&  Co.,  July  15,  1919.) 

A  high  import  duty  will  be  required  to  protect  this  industry  (pyrometer 
porcelains  and  refractories).  In  1914,  it  was  possible  to  import  porcelains 
for  pyrometric  purposes,  with  duty  and  all  other  charges  added,  at  a  price  of 
about  90  per  cent  present  production  costs  of  American-made  goods.  We  recom- 
mend a  duty  on  manufactured  porcelain  ware  for  scientific  and  industrial 
purposes,  of  not  less  than  75  per  cent,  previous  duty  having  been  fixed  at  55 
per  cent. 

The  indicators  (pyrometric).  which  now  cost  us  annmd  $60  to  produce,  are 
of  equivalent  quality  to  those  which  we  could  import  in  1914  at  a  price  of  $36, 
which  included  a  45  per  cent  duty  and  all  other  charges.  Assuming  that  the 
price  for  similar  instruments  will  be  higher  abroad  than  1914,  we  believe 
that  a  duty  of  not  less  than  75  per  cent  will  be  required. 

The  American-made  product  (platinum  and  platinum-rhodium  thermo-element 
wire)  of  the  grade  required  for  pyrometric  purposes  is  available  only  at  higher 
price  than  that  for  which  it  can  be  imported. 

We  recommend  a  duty  on  the  alloy  90  per  cent  platinum  and  10  per  cent 
rhodium,  in  manufactured  form.  We  recommend  that  no  duty  be  placed  on 
pure  platinum.  (Charles  Engelhard,  July  17,  1919.) 

Unquestionably,  our  industry  would  be  wiped  out  completely  unless  the  tariff 
were  very  quickly  changed.  This  definite  and  positive  statement  is  based  on 
the  following  facts : 

The  increase  in  the  cost  of  production  of  scientific  instruments  in  this  coun- 
try has  exceeded  the  increase  in  the  cost  of  production  in  Germany — approxi- 
mately 100  per  cent.  The  cost  of  production  of  these  instruments  in  Japan 
does  not  represent  one-fourth  of  the  cost  of  the  production  of  the  same  article 
here  and  about  one-half  of  what  we  estimate  is  the  cost  of  production  in 
Germany. 

We  are  particularly  interested  in  thermometers  for  testing  purposes,  such 
as  oil-testing  thermometers ;  high-temperature  thermometers  for  laboratory  pur- 


32  SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 

poses,  especially  those  used  in  so  large  quantities  in  explosives  and  dyestuffs 
industries.  During  the  war  we  largely  increased  our  plant,  and  employ  now 
between  four  and  five  hundred  men,  half  of  whom  will  have  to  be  laid  off  if 
Japanese  and  German  goods  reach  this  country  in  any  quantities. 

One  of  the  largest  items  which  we  manufacture  is  fever  thermometers,  on 
which  the  duty  should  be  at  least  80  per  cent.  (C.  J.  Tagliabue  Mfg.  Co.,  July 
18,  1919.) 

The  present  condition  of  the  scientific  instruments  industry  in  this  country 
is  excellent,  as  well  as  its  future,  providing,  however,  that  we  continue  to  be 
protected  as  we  have  been  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  so  that  foreign  com- 
petition can  be  kept  out.  This  can  only  be  done  by  the  elemination  of  the  duty 
free  privilege  set  forth  in  paragraph  573  and  a  protective  duty  of  45  per  cent. 
(C.  H.  Stoelting  Co.,  July  25,  1919.) 

DUTY-KREE    IMPORTATIONS. 
[From  manufacturers — estimated  amount.] 

On  certain  types  of  apparatus,  such  as  high-grade  optical  and  precision 
instruments,  we  believe  that  from  50  to  60  per  cent  of  the  entire  consumption 
was  imported  duty  free  for  educational  institutions.  (Central  Scientific  Co., 
July  7,  1919.) 

Duty-free  importations  represent  about  5  per  cent  of  the  total  consumption. 
(Brown  Instrument  Co.,  July  8,  1919.) 

It  is  probable  that  the  total  consumption  in  the  United  States  is  many  times 
greater  than  the  proportion  imported  duty  free,  but  as  stated  before  it  is  not 
the  amount  of  duty-free  importations  that  is  serious  but  their  effect.  (Leeds 
&  Northrup,  July  8,  1919.) 

In  1914  at  least  50  per  cent  of  the  precision  balances  and  weights  used  in 
educational  institutions  were  imported  duty  free.  (William  Aiusworth  &  Sons, 
July  8,  1919.) 

In  our  opinion  the  proportion  of  the  total  consumption  in  the  United  States 
represented  by  that  of  institutions  which  import  without  payment  of  duty  is 
probably  not  so  high  as  formerly.  The  exact  proportion  we  are  unable  to  ascer- 
tain. There  are  more  pyrometer  tubes  and  more  common  porcelain  shapes  pro- 
duced now  than  were  locally  produced  in  1914.  Imports  were  practically  lack- 
ing or  negligible  so  far  as  common  refractory  and  laboratory  shapes  composed 
of  fused  alumina  of  silicon  carbide  are  concerned.  (Norton  Co.,  July  14,  1919.) 

[Resolutions  passed  by  the  Council  of  the  American  Chemical  Society.] 

"  After  extended  discussion,  the  council  expressed  its  opinion  that  the  develop- 
ment of  American-made  glassware,  chemicals,  and  chemical  apparatus  should  be 
encouraged  in  every  way,  and  that  for  a  reasonable  period  of  years,  at  least, 
the  present  laws  allowing  duty-free  importation  to  colleges,  scientific,  and  edu- 
cational institutions  on  chemicals  and  chemical  apparatus  be  revoked."  (From 
minutes,  meeting  of  Council  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  New  York,  Dec. 
14,  1918.) 

It  was  voted  that  paragraph  1  [above  paragraph],  page  3,  of  the  proceedings 
for  1919  shall  be  modified  so  that  the  minutes -of  the  council  for  December  14, 
1918,  shall  have  added  to  the  paragraph  above  named  the  following : 

"The  council  also  expressed  its  opinion  that  duty-free  apparatus  and  chemi- 
cals has  been  a  very  effective  form  of  foreign  propaganda  in  creating  in  the 
mind  of  the  youth  of  this  country  an  impression  of  the  superiority  of  such 
foreign-made  material."  (Froiii  minutes,  meeting  of  Council  of  the  American 
Chemical  Society,  Buffalo,  Apr.  7,  1919.) 

[From  universities.] 

I  wish  most  earnestly  to  protest  any  action  looking  toward  the  repeal  of  the 
law  in  question.  I  believe  that  it  is  of  the  first  importance  that  scientific  instru- 
ments for  the  use  of  educational  institutions  should  be  admitted  free  of  duty 
into  this  country.  (Jefferson  Physical  Laboratory,  Harvard  University,  July  11, 
1919.) 

I  trust  no  action  will  be  taken  toward  the  repeal  of  the  provision  for  the  free 
admission  of  scientific  instruments.  Such  action  at  the  present  time  would,  in 
my  opinion,  work  great  hardship  to  various  educational  and  scientific  institu- 
tions, which  would  hardly  be  offset  by  any  incidental  benefit  to  American  manu- 
facturers. (Harvard  College  Observatory,  July  11,  1919.) 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS.  33 

There  are,  of  course,  a  good  many  sides  to  this  question,  and  undoubtedly 
State  universities  would  like  to  contribute  as  far  as  possible  to  the  upbuilding 
of  a  home  supply  for  this  class  of  material. 

The  fact  remains,  however,  that  appropriations  are  usually  limited,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  if  a  high  tariff  were  placed  on  these  commodities  many  of  the 
instruments  desired  and  required  for  best  educational  advancement  would  not 
be  procured.  Our  past  experience  has  been  that  the  American  cost  of  this  class 
of  material,  especially  in  the  development  stage,  or  in  the  manufacture  of  a 
limited  output,  is  greatly  in  excess  of  foreign  scientific  instruments  and  more 
than  we  can  pay  to  obtain  them. 

It  is  also  true  that  developments  are  made  in  foreign  countries  and  due 
to  the  limited  output,  the  American  manufacturer  does  not  care  to  take  up  the 
manufacture  of  these  unprofitable  items.  In  case  of  this  kind  it  certainly  would 
be  to  the  benefit  of  educational  institutions  and  people  of  this  country  to  be  able 
to  purchase  at  as  low  a  cost  as  possible  so  as  to  encourage  the  use  of  the  latest 
and  most  improved  type  of  instruments  and  apparatus. 

Inasmuch  as  the  results  of  research  work  of  the  universities  are  freely  given 
back  to  the  people,  the  cost  of  apparatus  and  scientific  instruments  to  universi- 
ties should  be  as  near  the  cost  of  production  as  possible,  and  should  be  obtained 
from  the  best  possible  source  in  regard  to  workmanship,  material,  and  cost. 

In  view  of  the  above  situation,  we  desire  to  register  our  opinion  favoring  a 
continuance  of  the  policy  of  duty-free  importation  of  scientific  instruments  and 
apparatus  to  educational  institutions.  (The  University  of  Wisconsin,  July  14, 
1919.) 

We  have  been  considering  the  letter  relative  to  the  possible  repeal  of  that 
clause  in  the  present  tariff  law  under  which  educational  institutions  may  import 
materials  and  scientific  apparatus  duty  free. 

This  clause  was  inserted  in  the  tariff  law  under  the  fundamental  idea  that 
the  "  means  of  education  should  forever  be  encouraged,"  and  consequently, 
since  educational  institutions  are  in  no  sense  commercial  competitors  of  manu- 
facturing industries,  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Government  to  assist  such  institu- 
tions in  securing  the  best  quality  of  materials  and  scientific  apparatus  with 
the  least  expense.  It  has  been  the  policy  of  this  laboratory  for  many  years 
to  so  regulate  the  fees  charged  students  that  the  income  thus  derived  would 
just  about  pay  for  the  cost  of  the  apparatus  and  materials  used.  Whenever 
materials  and  apparatus  of  the  necessary  degree  of  purity  and  accuracy  could 
be  secured  in  this  country  it  has  been  the  policy  to  purchase  from  American 
manufacturers  unless  the  prices  asked  were  considered  unreasonably  high. 
In  the  movement  now  on  for  the  repeal  of  the  duty-free  clause,  which  move- 
ment is  primarily  backed  up  by  commercial  interests,  there  are  some  men 
high  in  the  councils  of  the -American  Chemical  Society  who  would  stoop  to 
cry  "  pro-German  "  against  anyone  connected  with  an  educational  institution 
who  objects  in  any  way  to  the  repeal  of  this  duty-free  provision.  The  unanim- 
ity with  which  the  scientific  laboratories  as  well  as  the  talent  of  the  teaching 
staffs  of  our  universities  were  unhesitatingly  placed  at  the  service  of  the  Gov- 
ernment during  the  war  should  be  sufficient  answer  to  any  implication  of  dis- 
loyalty of  these  institutions  which  might  be  made  by  any  whose  desire  for 
excessive  profits  places  this  consideration  above  all  other  ideals.  If  American 
manufacturers  would  show  their  desire  to  cooperate  with  our  universities  by 
agreeing  to  furnish  educational  institutions  with  such  materials  and  scientific 
apparatus  as  they  manufacture  at  cost  "  f.  o.  b.  factory  "  plus  10  or  even  20 
per  cent  profit,  there  would,  we  feel,  be  no  objection  raised  by  any  of  these 
institutions  to  the  repeal  asked  for  by  these  commercial  interests.  (Department 
of  Chemistry,  University  of  Michigan,  July  14,  1919. ) 

I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  the  repeal  of  the  law  permitting  the  importation 
into  this  country  of  chemicals,  glassware,  and  instruments  for  educational  in- 
stitutions, duty  free.  I  believe  that  the  scientific  men  of  this  country  had  be- 
come deeply  impressed  with  the  idea  that  instruments  of  precision,  pure  chemi- 
cals, perfectly  graduated  glassware,  could  be  made  only  in  Germany.  This  has 
been  demonstrated  during  the  present  war  to  be  false. 

There  is,  so  far  as  I  know,  no  evidence  that  the  manufacturer  of  scientific  in- 
struments has  imposed  excessively  high  prices  upon  educational  institutions, 
am  in  favor  of  the  United  States  being  sufficient  unto  itself  along  all  lines  of 
scientific  work.  This  could  not  be  the  case  so  long  as  we  depend,  as  we  did 
largely  before  the  war,  upon  Germany,  not  only  for  our  apparatus  but  even  for 
our  scientific  opinions. 


34  SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS. 

I  am  in  favor  of  the  repeal  of  the  provision  granting  the  importation  of  scien- 
tific instruments,  pure  chemicals,  etc.,  by  educational  institutions,  duty  free. 
(Medical  School,  University  of  Michigan,  July  17,  1919.) 

I  am  writing  to  urge  the  defeat  of  the  proposed  repeal  of  the  provision  for 
the  duty-free  admission  of  scientific  instruments  for  educational  institutions. 
The  reasons  for  niy  position  are  so  obvious  that  I  can  not  understand  the 
source  of  the  desire  to  repeal  this  provision. 

First,  if  we  can  get  good  instruments  from  abroad  cheaper  than  at  home, 
we  are  frequently  enabled  to  purchase  a  larger  variety  than  otherwise  pos- 
sible, and  hence  to  accomplish  more  and  better  work  in  the  field  of  research  as 
well  as  that  of  instruction. 

Second,  if  we  can  purchase  better  instruments  abroad  than  at  home,  we 
stand  just  that  much  better  chance  of  success  in  research  work. 

Third,  if,  as  sometimes  happens,  we  can  purchase  important  apparatus 
abroad  which  can  not  be  purchased  here  at  any  price,  the  gain  and  chance  of 
success  is  even  still  greater. 

Finally,  the  importance  of  research  work  to  the  industries  of  this  country 
at  the  present  time  is  so  thoroughly  recognized  that  it  needs  no  argument, 
and  every  possible  aid  should  be  given  to  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
country  to  secure  the  necessary  instruments  and  apparatus  at  the  lowest  pos- 
sible price.  (The  Engineering  School,  Harvard  University,  July  19,  1919.) 

May  I  express  my  own  view  that  the  present  system  of  free  entry  of  such 
instruments  should  be  continued.  It  seems  to  me  that  every  possible  handi- 
cap should  be  removed  from  our  educational  institutions.  The  present  financial 
burdens  of  our  universities,  and  educational  institutions  in  general,  are  al- 
most overpowering  with  the  increase  in  general  expenses,  and  this  is  coming 
at  a  time  when  the  necessity  for  education  of  the  best  type  is  more  pressing 
than  ever  before  in  history.  (President,  Leland  Stanford  Junior  University, 
July  18,  1919.) 

Regarding  this  matter,  and  on  behalf  of  this  department  of  Stanford  Univer- 
sity, I  desire  to  say  that  we  should  consider  it  distinctly  undesirable  that  this 
act  should  be  repealed,  thus  resulting  in  a  very  considerable  increase  in  the 
price  paid  for  scientific  equipment  when  imported  from  Europe.  The  reasons 
might  be  given  at  great  length,  but  the  matter  reduces  itself  in  the  last  analysis 
to  the  question  of  the  cost  of  scientific  education  and,  hence,  to  the  cost  of 
equipping  our  present  generation  of  young  people  for  effective  work  in  scientific 
and  industrial  lines,  and  especially  with  a  view  to  world-wide  competition  in 
all  matters  in  which  science  and  industry  form  a  controlling  or  important 
feature. 

After  giving  this  matter  considerable  thought  I  can  not  believe  that  either 
the  additional  income  to  the  Government  or  the  anticipated  advantage  to  the 
American  manufacturers  of  similar  apparatus  would  justify  the  repeal  of  this 
provision  with  its  consequences  on  the  cost  of  scientific  education.  In  this  con- 
nection it  should  further  be  noted  that  in  very  many  cases  instruments  and 
scientific  material  contemplated  in  this  provision  can  not  be  obtained  at  all 
in  the  United  States,  and  the  only  result  of  the  repeal  of  this  provision  would 
be,  therefore,  a  tax  on  scientific  education,  with  an  entirely  negligible  increase 
in  the  receipts  from  imports.  Having  in  view  a  wise  national  policy,  and  look- 
ing forward  to  our  participation  in  world-wide  trade  and  industrial  competition 
along  scientific  and  industrial  lines,  the  best  scientific  training  for  the  youth 
of  our  country  will  be  none  too  good,  and  we  can  not  afford  to  place  on  such 
education  any  unnecessary  taxes.  (Department  of  Mechanical  Engineering, 
Leland  Stanford  Junior  University.) 

If  we  decide  it  to  be  sound  national  policy  to  tax  all  imported  equipment 
used  in  educational  institutions  solely  by  students,  no  one  in  favor  of  protective 
tariffs  will.  I  presume,  demur.  It  is  only  just,  however,  to  remember  in  this 
connection  that  our  educational  institutions  are  not  turning  this  privilege  of 
free  importation  to  financial  advantage  in  the  sense  that  they  in  any  direcl 
way  profit  by  it,  for  the  small  rentals  requested  of  students  for  some  of  this 
apparatus  barely  are  sufficient  to  replace  the  instruments  when  outworn.  More- 
over, for  many  of  these  instruments  no  rentals  whatever  are  charged,  because 
each  sttulent  uses  the  instrument  only  a  very  few  times  in  the  course  of  his 
training  in  particular  subjects.  If  the  budgets  of  all  educational  institutions 
could  be  increased  sufficiently  not  to  entail  hardship,  the  levying  of  duties  on 
articles  now  imported  free  would,  to  be  sure,  be  a  minor  matter.  But  it  is 
decidedly  unlikely  that  these  increases  will  or  can  be  obtained  in  many  insti- 


SCIENTIFIC   INSTRUMENTS.  35 

tutions,  and  hence  our  educational  Institutions  are  bound  to  be  hampered  in 
their  work  for  some  years  following  the  imposition  of  duties.  Nor  would  our 
institutions  be  hampered  temporarily  only,  for  no  duty,  however  high,  could 
stimulate  the  manufacture  of  scientific  instruments  used  in  such  small  numbers 
that  a  single  firm  can  more  than  supply  the  demands  of  the  entire  world. 
Examples  of  such  equipment  and  instruments  are  special  models,  microscopes, 
and  saccharometers — and  others  easily  come  to  mind.  Under  these  circum- 
stances it  would  be  unremunerative  to  manufacture  these  instruments  in  every 
country.  Sometimes  a  particular  kind  of  instrument  is  required  by  a  few 
investigators  only,  and  these  often  could  not  be  provided  without  the  violation 
of  international  obligation.  (Laboratory  of  Human  Anatomy,  Leland  Stanford 
University,  Aug.  8,  1919.) 

If  our  foreign  purchases  were  to  be  limited  to  Germany  we  should  feel  no 
hesitation  in  urging  the  repeal  of  free  admission  for  such  apparatus.  It  must 
be  remembered,  however,  on  the  one  hand  that  even  before  the  war  England 
and  France  had  disputed  the  preeminence  of  Germany  in  such  manufactures, 
so  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  our  trade  was  more  and  more  going  to  these  coun- 
tries ;  and  on  the  other  hand  that  the  demand  for  certain  types  of  apparatus, 
such  as  optical  instruments  used  in  research  alone,  is  so  small  that  no  amount 
of  protection  could  be  expected  to  promote  its  manufacture  in  this  country, 
while  the  apparatus  which  has  commercial  uses  and  is  therefore  in  great  de- 
mand (such  as  many  types  of  instruments  for  electrical  measurements)  is 
already  made  in  this  country  at  such  low  prices  and  of  such  great  excellence 
that  no  foreign  country  can  compete  with  it. 

Considering  these  facts,  we  feel  that  on  the  whole  it  would  be  unwise  to 
repeal  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  1913  relating  to  such  apparatus.  (Depart- 
ment of  Physics,  University  of  California,  July  25,  1919.) 

There  can  be  no  question  that  the  success  of  American  scientists  in  com- 
peting with  foreign,  and  especially  with  German  scientists,  has  been  due  in 
appreciable  measure  to  the  facility  with  which  foreign  scientific  apparatus  has 
been  obtained.  All  of  the  chemical  industries  of  the  country  are  absolutely 
dependent  upon  a  large  number  of  well-trained  scientists  entering  the  indus- 
tries every  year  from  the  universities.  These  men  should  be  familiar  with 
apparatus  of  all  types,  and  while  it  is  true  that  at  the  present  time  there  are 
many  cases  in  which  apparatus  produced  in  this  country  is  superior  to  that 
produced  abroad,  it  is  very  essential  that  the  universities  should  have  a  free 
choice  and  should  be  able  to  compare  the  types  of  apparatus  designed  and 
manufactured  in  various  countries. 

There  is  no  question  to  my  mind  that  the  repeal  of  the  provision  in  question 
would  not  only  be  a  serious  detriment  to  scientific  work  in  the  university  but 
would  even  be,  in  the  long  run,  disadvantageous  to  the  very  companies  that 
are  manufacturing  scientific  apparatus  in  this  country.  (Department  of 
Chemistry,  University  of  California.) 

o 


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